Doubts
by Sora I. Highland
Summary: Luke would do just about anything to make up for Akzeriuth, even if it meant dying. Too bad the others aren't willing to let him go through with it. But the spirits are brutal and will stop at nothing to get exactly what they want.
1. Chapter 1

Now this is just a test. Don't expect the next chapter anytime soon. I want to see how this works out here and the opinions of its readers before I add anymore. If there are any grammar errors or spelling mistakes, please tell me. I'm almost positive I have them all but that's only me checking.

* * *

The group had decided to rest in Chesedonia before heading to Daath and they were waiting for Noelle to meet them. Luke was exhausted, having had to forcibly carve commands on the passage ring, yet he dreaded the upcoming sleep. Any other day wouldn't have bothered him too much, but being back in the Qliphoth brought memories. Memories that he feared would make his nightmares stronger.

Luke hardly noticed when Noelle showed up, glancing around at all the empty shop stalls instead. He heard Jade explain the situation, them staying at the inn for the night, and Luke's stomach twisted awkwardly. _Why couldn't we just continue on or something? _He thought to himself as they stepped inside.

Natalia went to the counter, dodging vendors and the random citizen as Anise chattered animatedly, Jade replying with witty comebacks and Guy just shaking his head at their antics. Mieu amused himself and some others by spinning in wild circles on the floor while Tear took notice of Luke's silence and approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked, voice low to avoid the others overhearing.

He looked at her, green eyes soft and nodded. "I'm fine," he reassured, "just tired." She smiled and nodded as well before going to help Natalia with a persistent vendor.

Luke watched his friends, trying to keep his mind off the nightmares he knew would be coming. Guy was now shaking on the floor, having suffered Anise try to glomp him on Jade's command. Luke chuckled and stepped forward, reaching for Guy's hand to help him off the floor.

"Thanks," Guy stepped behind Luke and away from Anise as he brushed himself off.

"No problem," Luke waved off the comment as Tear and Natalia came back.

"Alright, two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls, like always," Natalia announced, handing a key over to the nearest male, which happened to be Jade. The soldier nodded, taking the key then pushing up his glasses.

"Let's go, boys," he smiled, the lenses of his glasses flashing as he turned for the stairs. Both Luke and Guy shivered, not really wanting to follow. Mieu just flew up to Luke's shoulder and sat there.

"I'm not sharing," crimson eyes full of mirth stared at them as they entered. Luke glanced at Guy who only sighed before removing his gloves and vest.

"Wall's mine," Luke claimed, removing his jacket and gloves as well, making the cheagle jump onto the bed and curl up on the side of Luke's pillow.

"Fine with me," Guy yawned as he sat on the bed and began removing his boots. Jade looked to already be asleep when Luke looked over, bent over to pull off his shoes.

Reluctantly, he crawled in under the covers, careful not to jostle Guy, he murmured his good night and his caretaker switched off the light.  
_

* * *

Dark... cold... alone... hello?_

_"Heh, to think I wanted to marry him..." Anise? Was that you?_

_"You said you would change..." Tear? But I am. I'm trying!_

_"I thought I taught you better than this..." Guy! Taught me better than what?_

_"I can't believe you're my cousin!" Natalia! What did I do?_

_"It appears I can be wrong sometimes..." Jade. Tell me what I did wrong._

_"Can't you do anything right?" Asch..._

_Faces. Anger, sorrow, regret, indifference. Why did it hurt so much?_

_"Help! Help me, please! Daddy! It hurts!" No..._

_"You killed us. The one who was to save us..." A woman, bloody and angry. No! I didn't-_

_"Don't try to make excuses." A man, dismembered and half-blind. I tried! Really, I did!_

_"Did you?" The woman again, behind! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I failed..._

_"Are you?" Behind the woman. A child, bloody chested and half his face gone, torn hat clutched in his hand. Yes! I'd do anything to make it up to you!_

_"Will you?" They held out their hands.  
_

* * *

Guy stirred; awake for a reason unknown to him. Something felt seriously wrong. He turned to the wall, looking to see if Luke was awake as well. Seeing the empty space, he jolted up.

"He already left," startled, he whirled around and grabbed his pillow. Jade was standing there with Mieu clutching the back of his jacket, adjusting his glove before crossing his arms.

"Where did he go?" Guy questioned, getting up and reaching for his boots.

"Don't know," Jade shrugged, "he didn't answer me." Guy cursed, grabbing his gloves and vest as he ran out the door. Jade hurried after him, knocking on the ladies' door that Guy flew past. He knocked louder when there was no answer before opening the door. Tear was half out of the bed she shared with Natalia when he entered. She shrieked and attempted to cover herself with the blanket.

"What is-" she started before Jade cut her off.

"Luke's missing," he stated, leaving the girls to go after Guy. Natalia and Anise jumped out of bed at that, having woken up when Tear screamed.

"I knew something was up," she muttered, zipping up her dress and slipping on her boots. She rushed out the door as she grabbed her pack, nearly colliding with Anise who went to do the same.

"I'll catch up," Natalia called as various people looked out of their rooms. She pulled on her dress, cursed her complicated clothing, and then ran out of the room. A man tried to ask about the commotion but she pushed him aside, calling out an apology on her way down the stairs.

Jade was outside, looking more concerned than she had ever seen him. Something was definitely wrong.

"He went to the port," he answered the unspoken question, starting to run for the Kimlascan docks in the dark, Mieu letting go and flying off in the direction of the north exit.

"I'll go get Noelle!" he cried out as Natalia followed Jade.

Tear and Anise were there, the melodist crying and the guardian shaking as they watched Guy and Luke in the middle of the path. Guy was holding the younger male down, yelling at him, and trying to get some sense into his head. Luke continued to struggle and scream, reaching forward whenever he got an arm free.

"Please! Let me follow them!" Natalia gasped, coving her mouth. "I don't deserve this! They want me, please! Let me do it for them!" She shuddered, slowly kneeling to the ground with tears dripping unnoticed.

"No!" Guy denied Luke's request, "I won't allow you to kill yourself!" Luke screamed, the sound heart wrenching and blood curling. An unexpected thrash and Guy was tossed to the side, cursing and trying to right himself.

Luke scrambled up, bolting for the docks. Jade cursed as well, summoning up his spear and chasing after the distressed teen as Guy stood and ran behind him. Anise sobbed when she caught sight of Luke's face; a wistful smile - joy. She ran forward to stop him as well. Natalia stood and followed with Tear around the bend, crying out when Luke leapt for the endless sea of mud. The effects of Akzeriuth finally made itself clear to the both of them.

Jade's spear streaked through the air, catching Luke's pant leg and pinning him to the ground. Velocity attempted to make him continue, but failed, leaving him to fall forward with a crack, half his body hanging over the edge. Apprehension started to build as Guy gripped the back of Luke's shirt, hauling him on to the cobblestone as Jade took back his spear. Evidently, the noble had brushed the surface of the muck, the violet substance coating his fingers as blood started to drip down from his forehead.

Tear jogged forward, keeping her head bent as she knelt beside the unconscious teen. The green glow of healing magic surrounded his head as Anise and Natalia approached them. Anise pulled out a rag from her pack then picked up his hand, carefully wiping at the mud. She grimaced at the sight underneath, clearly it was more dangerous than she expected.

"Don't touch the mud, guys," she warned, taking out her canteen and twisting it open, already feeling the sting the goop left on her hands. She tipped the cold water over her fingers, wiping them dry on the ground, using the dirt to make sure it all came off.

"It appears this stuff is highly corrosive to flesh," Jade analyzed, lifting the limp appendage and watching as the mud ate away at Luke's skin. "Well, let's get this off you, shall we," he stated after a moment, taking his own rag and canteen out as well as a roll of bandages. Natalia reached forward, healing as Jade washed. Tear and Anise did the same while Guy stood and watched helplessly.

"Wrap his head," the fonist ordered, noticing Guy's need to do something and tossed him the roll of white material. Guy fumbled with it, nearly dropping it before going over and setting himself next to Luke's head.

They stayed there in silence, cleaning and healing as Luke lay motionless. Only the rise and fall of his chest showed he was alive. Natalia looked up when she heard quick, light steps approach them. Noelle rounded the bend, worried expression as clear as day, with a distressed cheagle attached to her arm.

"What happened?" she asked, coming to stop behind Tear. The melodist looked up at the pilot, anguish and confusion fighting for dominance on her features.

"I don't know," she croaked, shaking her head, "he was fine earlier," she looked back down, "I should have seen this. He looked too exhausted and worried, but I only thought it was from in the ruins. He said he was alright," she moaned, leaning over and pressing her face in his stomach.

"He tried to kill himself," Jade stated, tossing his rag into the sea and brushing his gloves on the sandy stones. Noelle gasped, her gaze darting to Luke's form. She examined his face, the peaceful expression and locks of red hair splayed around his head like a halo, the bandages standing out against the crimson strands. Sweat glistened on his neck and stomach, the black shirt covering his chest and Noelle noticed his individually wrapped fingers.

"His hands," she inquired, kneeling and brushing her fingertips on the back of his hand.

"That stuff is corrosive," Anise said dully, looking out at the contaminated mud and holding up her own hands, palms forward. Angry red marks dotted her skin and Noelle gulped, continuing her look over of her friend. His pants were basically undamaged, belt less, a bit scuffed up here and there and a tear at the ankle, but all together good and he was bare foot. Pity filled Noelle and she struggled to hide it, knowing Luke wouldn't want it.

Mieu released his hold and leaped for Luke, landing on his chest and laying down there. "Master," he gave a small whine, gripping onto the black cloth.

Noelle's eyes stung as she stood and took a deep breath. Guy followed her actions, not halting his own of combing his fingers through Luke's hair. "Bring him to the Albiore," she requested, bringing everyone else's attention to her, "I'll fly you up now since you're all awake." Natalia, Anise and Jade nodded in confirmation and Noelle raced off.

Everyone stood, packing away various items as Guy lifted Luke into a sitting position. Tear and Natalia took an arm each as Guy moved in front of Luke, preparing to carry him on his back. The girls bent down, placed their arm over their own shoulders, and grasped Luke around his waist, lifting him enough to drape him over Guy, forcing the young monster to move to Luke's neck. Guy grunted and brought his arms around Luke's thighs, jumping slightly to bring him up higher as the girls put Luke's arms around Guy's neck.

"I'll get his stuff," Anise volunteered, rushing off before anyone could say anything.

Guy adjusted his grip and looked at the others. "Let's go," his voice was stiff and the others exchanged a look with each other. Guy started at a brisk pace with Jade following shortly behind, leaving the girls to catch up. They marched through the empty streets, contemplating silence pervading the air as they crossed though the bar. Nary a soul was in sight, only the crunch of sifting sand beneath their feet filling up the silence.

Anise returned silently just as they were to leave the desert town. She fell into place next to Tear, clutching Luke's jacket to her chest and his shoes, socks and gloves in one hand, belt and pack in the other. Tear regarded her with a glance and a minute nod, Anise only clutching the white material tighter.

The Albiore was humming with power up ahead, Noelle waiting anxiously at the base of the ramp. She jumped up the moment she caught sight of the group, paced the bottom of the ramp then raced inside. Anise and Tear went ahead to set up a room for Luke. Guy scaled the ramp with Jade and Natalia coming up behind. The ramp retracted once Natalia was inside and they headed to one of the storage rooms on the airship.

"In here," Tear called out, head poking out of the second door on the left. A few crates were pushed together and Luke's clothes were placed in a corner, Anise missing from the room. Guy went over and eased Luke on to the makeshift bed, making sure not to knock his head off the wood. Mieu moved back to his previous position as Noelle and Anise entered, each carrying a couple cushions and a blanket.

"Where did you get those?" Natalia questioned, approaching to relieve them of some of their load.

"Closet. They're in case the ones on the bridge get ruined," Noelle supplied, handing over a blanket and a pillow. Guy and Jade lifted Luke by his arms and legs so the girls could get the cushions under him. "How did this happen, anyway?" She draped the blanket over him, tucking it around his feet and legs, leaving Mieu partially buried.

"I believe it to be a result of his nightmares," Jade announced, bringing the attention to him. Seeing the need for clarification from the others, he looked to the red head on the bed. "Ever since Akzeriuth, he's been kept awake at night, guilt plaguing him for the deaths of thousands," he closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "and we didn't help any."

Natalia went around to Luke's left side, taking his hand and lowering herself to the ground. She kept murmuring apologies, clutching the limp appendage and rubbing his arm. Tears were starting to form again. Tear joined her by Luke's head, smoothing back his hair and saying nothing.

"Essentially, he is only seven years old," Jade, continued. Noelle looked at him in surprise. "He's a replica," he clarified, "a replica of Asch, to be precise, and I blame myself for the situation he's in."

"But Colonel," Anise started but stopped when Jade shook his head.

"I brought this upon myself, creating fomicry and my title as the Necromancer," he bowed his head, silently apologizing to Luke before he turned to Noelle. "Let's be off," he suggested, and left the room, heading to the bridge. Noelle followed after with Guy on her heels while Anise stayed behind. She approached the crate bed, watching the two girls as she placed herself on Luke's right side.

"I'm sorry, Luke," she murmured, her voice cracking as her eyes pooled, "I didn't know."

"No one did," Natalia added, bringing his hand to her chest, "then and now, no one knew." Tear stayed silent as the Albiore jerked, signalling their lift off.

"We should head to Daath. We can keep Luke safe in Ion's room," Anise suggested.

"Are you sure that will be okay?" Natalia didn't move as she spoke, barely catching Anise's nod.

"He likes him. One might even say he adores Luke, though no one knows why," she explained, smoothing down the faint hairs on Luke's arm. "And bringing up a cot will be no problem though carrying it up the stairs will be a hassle," she sighed and leaned her head on the crate.

Natalia hummed her agreement as Guy stepped into the room. He came to stand quietly at Luke's feet, watching his light breathing before he spoke. "Something's happening to the Sephiroth," he started, "according to Jade, the passage ring said that they were going out of control and the rings themselves had reached maximum tolerance." All three girls looked at him with surprised eyes.

"Wait, if the Trees stop working, the Outer Lands will..." Tear trailed off as she realized what would happen.

Anise stared at her, "You mean the Outer Lands are going to fall?"

Guy nodded, "There's not much time before the rings break and the trees vanish."

Natalia tightened her grip on Luke's wrist, "But what about the people in Yulia City. Do they know what's happening?"

Tear shook her head, "No, Grandfather said that no more of the Outer Lands will collapse." Anise practically deflated as she thought about it.

"But what about Chesedonia?" Natalia remembered, "The passage ring is the only thing keeping it floating."

"That's what I said," Guy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "he told me that it would be swallowed by the mud unless it were to solidify." The princess bit her lip, looking to Luke's face. Their talking had yet to bother him as he lay there with mouth slightly open and his face free of the waking problems.

"Does the score say anything about this?" she asked. Guy shrugged.

"Even if it did," Tear spoke quietly, "it may be privileged information that even Grandfather couldn't see."

There was a lull in the speaking as everyone tried to thing of something to solve their problem. Anise gasped as she realized the answer.

"Ion," her voice was soft, "I think Ion can access the highest level secrets in Yulia City." Everyone stared aimlessly as they realized the same thing. "And we were thinking of going to him anyway so this works," she continued. Guy looked around at them, confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Luke would be much safer if we could keep him with Ion for the time being," Natalia supplied, "he wouldn't be in any danger." Guy nodded and went to the door.

"I'll tell that to Jade," he said and stepped into the hall, closing the door with a small click.

The rest of the ride was silent, the only other interruptions being Guy checking in on them now and then. By the time they landed, Tear had fallen asleep, head resting next to Luke's, and Natalia and Anise were just barely staying awake. Guy, Jade and Noelle entered the room and walked over, silently telling the girls it was time to get off the ship. Noelle placed a hand on Tear's shoulder, shaking her slightly to rouse her from her sleep.

"Was there any change?" Jade asked quietly, getting a shake of the head from Natalia. The fonist nodded and motioned for Guy to carry him once more. Luke was transferred to the blonde's back with the aid of Anise and Natalia as Noelle helped Tear to her feet. Mieu gave up trying to stay with his master and went to Tear, falling asleep in her arms.

Anise returned to holding Luke's belongings as the group started for the door, Natalia guiding Tear who was still a bit groggy.

"I'll wait here," Noelle stated as she walked with everyone down the corridor to the door of the ramp. Jade nodded in agreement, pressing the switch to lower the slope.

"Someone will come by later with an update," he arranged and lowered himself to the ground. The others followed into the dim light of dawn, trekking the short distance to Daath.

Inside the city walls, shop vendors were just setting up and people and their dogs were going out for a morning jog. The streets were mostly bare, most of Daath's inhabitants only just waking up and few wanted to head outside this early in the morning. The circle of friends, if Jade dare call them that, made their way down the main stretch of Daath, up the four flights of stairs and came to a stop in front of Trithiem. The man stood in front of the doors to the cathedral, as if to guard it from something.

"What's going on?" Natalia gazed at the Maestro in interest, noticing the fact that he kept looking behind the group worriedly.

"Carrier pigeon from the port," he revealed, "it said a large group of people was going to appear sometime this morning about the ships not sailing." It was then that he caught sight of Luke draped over Guy's back. "Oh my! What happened to Luke?" he exclaimed, stepping forward and examining the boy's profile, taking note of the bandages.

"That's part of the reason why we're here," Guy explained, shifting Luke's weight to a better position, "we want to see Ion."

Trithiem hummed in understanding then gestured toward the door. "He's currently in the library," the violet haired maestro disclosed as a stricken look came upon his features. Tear looked behind to see a group steadily making its way down the cobblestone street.

"Let's go," she ushered everyone to the door, wanting to get inside before the crowd of people got there. Inside, Anise pawned off Luke's stuff to Tear (covering Mieu in the process) then dashed to the library. The rest loitered in the hall, waiting semi-patiently for her to return.

Ion was standing next to the window when she entered, a book practically forgotten in hands. "Ion!" she called out, bringing his thoughts back to land as he turned.

"Anise! What is it?" The girl rushed to his side, tugging on his sleeve.

"We need to let Luke use your room. Something happened in Chesedonia and now I'm scared for him," she stared up at him. Ion briefly glanced at the book in his hands before placing it on the table as he let Anise guide him to the main hall. Natalia had started pacing in the short time and Tear was watching her. Mieu was awake but still looking tired as he clung to Luke's head.

"What happened to him?" Ion asked, coming to a stop in front of Guy as he looked at the face of his friend over the blonde's shoulder.

Guy looked at his charge as well, "He... he tried to..." he swallowed and closed his eyes, turning to face the floor.

Jade pushed up his glasses as he finished the sentence, "He attempted suicide." The blunt revelation shocked Ion, birthing questions of why Luke would ever do so. The answer was less shock inducing. Akzeriuth.

"Of course," he almost whispered and breathed in deeply. "Come," he ordered, his voice subdued. Everyone followed the Fon Master as he led them to the warp pad and through the long hallway to his room. The multiple flights of stairs were trying on Guy, having to carry more weight than usual up the steps. By the time they were in Ion's office, he was ready to sit down and not move for a while. But he persevered, crossing to the next room to deposit his load onto the bed instead of the hard floor. Mieu stayed pressed up against Luke, letting out a low, depressed whine. Natalia came up to cover him, tucking the edges around his feet and shoulders.

Six looks of varying levels of worry gazed at the immobile form before they exited the room one by one. Tear stayed behind, putting Luke's stuff next to the bed and sitting on the floor. She put her hand over Luke's covered wrist, her other coming up brush through his hair.

"Wake up soon," she murmured, tears escaping her azure eyes once more.


	2. Chapter 2

_"You lied," What? No! I tried! Truly, I did! The woman glared._

_"Worthless. Can't even kill himself right," the man was beside her. Really! I tried to follow, but they stopped me!_

_"So many excuses. Can you even tell the truth?" New people now... a teenager. Female. Missing an arm and stomach open. I'm not making excuses! Please understand. Tears... they hurt._

_"If you truly wanted to follow us, you would have run from the start," a male teen. Missing fingers and bone for an arm. I didn't think they would wake up! _

_"There's your answer, you don't think," an elder. Her head caved in, a leg missing and the skin on her arms gone. I promise, I'll do better next time. More tears. They're burning._

_"Next time? There won't be a next time," the child again. Innocent expression slowly morphing into a grin of mania. What? What do you mean...? They're approaching. Rain._

_"Come now, don't you understand?" The girl. Behind. Small smile but manic shine in the eyes. No, I don't. What do you mean? Pain inducing rain. Like knives._

_"There is no other time." The boy. Smirking. All of them, smirking. What? He grabs. Blinding pain._

_"Come with me, dear, and I'll make it stop," the elder. Betraying smile. What are you going to do? Fear._

_"Don't you listen!" The man and a strike. Dripping. I... okay... Relinquish. _

_"Don't forget!" The child. Happy. I... I won't. I'll never forget. Pushing. Leading._

_"I hope not." The woman. Dissatisfied. I promise._

_"You promised!" Happiness. False pride. Muted anger. Silent annoyance. Soothing... so soothing._

* * *

Asch grumbled as he stalked through the lower levels of the Oracle HQ. Not only was Van demanding irrelevant things, Mohs was being annoying wondering what was taking the Fon Master's Guardian so long to update him. Having had enough of his complaints, Asch decided to get a breath of fresh air in the courtyard.

He stormed past the knight that acted as the guard to the lower sector and paced his way to the elevator, slowing down as he came to the more finely decorated halls. An oracle member watched him as he passed by and he gave a polite nod in greeting. The member nodded back and Asch continued on his way.

As he came upon the warp room, an ear-shattering shriek came from above, causing him to grasp the sides of his head and look up wondering what the hell just happened. He glared at the various bridges criss-crossing above him as the screams continued, scowling when he saw a familiar white light streak down and land in the centre of the room.

Anise's figure materialized and immediately stepped on the pad that led to her room, leaving Asch no time to question her as she glowed and disappeared.

Wanting answers, Asch went to the centre glyph, transporting himself to the highest level. Ion stood there, clearly waiting for Anise and surprise at his appearance evident.

"What is going on?" he growled, watching the younger male as he looked back to his room at a particularly loud shout.

"It's best if you go and look for yourself," he replied, looking back at him and stepping aside. Asch growled in displeasure as he took the invitation and moved forward, throwing open the door and running up the stairs with ease. The yells were starting to become very familiar.

Natalia was standing there as he all but kicked the door open, shock before desperation playing across her face.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded the information as she ran up to him, grasping his tabard with her gloved hands.

"It's Luke!" she exclaimed, tears spilling out of her eyes, "he's hurt and he won't stop!"

"Stop what!" he winced, a chill running down his spine at the pain-filled scream that emitted from the next room.

"Natalia!" a command filled voice called out and the princess took no time turning around and running to the bedroom. Asch followed, knowing the answer resided there. Yet as he entered, Luke silenced himself and everything stopped moving. Emerald eyes stared up from the bed, wide and unseeing as bloody tears slowly followed the ready made path.

Tear inhaled, having realized she had stopped breathing and took a hesitant step forward. Jade's hand came up to stop her, slowly turning to face the newcomer. "Now this surely cannot be a coincidence," he spoke, crimson eyes flashing. Asch glared, going to move forward before his head erupted in pain. A short burst of sound clawed its way out before he clenched his teeth and clutched his head. This was the drecks fault, he knew it. Strange things always happened around him.

He vaguely noticed Natalia beside him as he attempted to stand again, barely hearing the yell of his replica behind the ring in his head. He was going to get the damned idiot to shut up even if it killed him. He narrowed his eyes as the room tilted and blurred, cursing as he fell and his vision blacked out._  
_

* * *

_"Well now, who's this?" the elder. ..._

_"Are you here for us too?" the child. ...What?_

_"Silence!" The man. Yes sir..._

_"Seriously though, who's this hottie?" the girl. ..._

_"He looks just like this one." The boy. !_

_"Well what d'you know, he does! Maybe he's a twin..." the woman. Hope. Fear. Shaking._

_"...What...?" _

_"Huh, sounds like him too." the girl. ...No..._

_"I said silence!" Pain. Burning._

_"Dreck!" Freeze. Smouldering emerald eyes. Flaming ruby hair._

_"Are you here for us too, mister?" Building terror._

_"Here for... What are you talking about!"_

_"Dang, he gets angry fast. Not like this one at all." The girl._

_"No kidding." the boy. Trembling._

_"Hey! What are you trying to do?" the woman. He's coming closer. Grabbing. Pulling. Pain._

_"This one's ours." the man. Digging. Piercing. _

_"Yeah! He promised us!" the child. Happy innocence._

_"Promised you?" Confusion._

_"Yup!"_

_"He's coming with us." the woman._

_"And just _where_ are all of you going?"_

_"Akzeriuth." Grinning. Maniacal. Terrorizing. RUN!_

* * *

Analytic, crimson eyes scowered the room, as they did periodically throughout the night once everyone went to sleep before returning to the book in his hand. A cup of coffee rested in the other, cooler than it was when it was first made but still warm.

The day's events had truly been out of the ordinary, even for their own little band of do-gooders. First Luke attempts suicide. When taken to Daath, mysterious markings had appeared on the boy with some thrashing applied by him followed by the appearance of his original. Now Asch was to be minorly expected, since they were above the Oracle Headquarters, yet to have him collapse in the middle of the floor was not. Anise had returned afterward with some rope to restrain said thrashing boy only to have it rendered useless when he stopped.

Jade came out of his thoughts when he heard a disturbance in the next room. Cursing started up and a lamp was turned on, illuminating the space under the door. Placing his coffee down and standing up, he stepped around Guy and Tear who slept on the floor, and opened the door to the next room. A cot had been placed inside for Asch after he had collapsed that morning. It was now empty as the God-General stood next to it, looking rather stressed as he stared at Luke.

"Would now be a good time to ask what happened?" Jade questioned, hands resting comfortably in his pockets. Asch glared at him before snatching his blade that leaded against the head of the cot and equipping it.

"The dreck has decided to strike a deal with the spirits of Akzeriuth. They're taking him with them," Jade's eyebrows raised at the information, clearly not expecting it.

"And what shall we do about it?" he asked. _Spirits?_

"Keep him here in Daath. I need to go down to the site where Akzeriuth landed in the Qliphoth, there might be something there," Jade frowned. Asch and Luke were still the same in some ways.

"Take someone with you," he ordered, pushing up his glasses, "Tear and Guy might be able to help." Asch scoffed but made no protests, bringing his gaze back to the unconscious replica. The state he had been in there, Asch didn't even want to think about it. Yet the image stayed, as if made into the wallpaper of his mind; lifeless, broken, torn. He had been as naked as a newborn, handprints up his arms, bruises colouring his torso and blood everywhere. His spirit had been broken.

"Send the melodist for me when they awaken. I'll be in the courtyard," Asch said shortly, brushing past Jade as he exited the room. He needed to think.

Jade only moved slightly to the side as he left, running a cursory glance over Luke's form. The boy was still crying blood.

* * *

In the courtyard, Asch went and climbed to the highest possible branch he could reach without danger of falling. He was currently facing the east, contemplating the meanings of the spirits within Luke's mind. They were real, that much he could gather. But he doubted that the actual people of the mining city would hold that much of a grudge, at least not that many. There had to be something more to it. Something he couldn't see. Something that only a scientist would be able to figure out. He groaned and leaned his head back, smacking it off the trunk of the tree. Another visit to Spinoza seemed to be in order.

But in the mean time, he had to see if Luke was truly stuck in his own mind. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, searching for the frequency that matched his own. He found it not too long after as his frown deepened, its strength fluctuating dangerously low. Latching on to it, he pulled it closer, slowly letting it meld with his own unlike other times where he forced them together. He felt the connection open and he willed himself into Luke's mind, feeling the air around him become cold.

He opened his eyes, not seeing the moonlit courtyard but the violet haze that seemed to be Luke's mind at the moment. Stepping forward, Asch searched around him for any sign of his replica and strained his ears for a sound. "Replica!" he called out, knowing that usually wielded an answer, but none came. There was no movement as far as he could see and not a sound could be heard. He cursed and started walking. His plans were going to be ruined if this kept up.

A few moments later, a familiar shriek sounded around him, echoing in his head and in the endless abyss around him. Covering his ears did nothing to quiet it. Realizing he was going in the wrong direction, he turned and started running.

The distance between them seemed endless, never ending, and he was starting to wonder if he was even going the right way. But a burst of power halted him, creating a wind that nearly pushed him to his knees, and Luke's form appeared before him. Green eyes widened at the sight, viewing the lithe form huddled together and the crimson streams slowly gathering beneath him. The scream was still resonating, even though Luke was clearly not making a sound. And yet again, he was exposed.

"Dreck!" the shout was useless, seeing as the replica was unresponsive. Asch slowly approached, not sure what exactly it was he wanted to do. In spite of that, the mental shouts of pain quieted into whimpers as he grew closer, Luke gaining comfort in the proximity of his original. Kneeling and raising a tentative hand, Asch brushed the short strands of hair away from Luke's face, revealing a small cut across his forehead. His expression was twisted in mental anguish and tears moved in a steady stream.

"I will help you," he promised quietly as he pulled away and stood, "you just need to wait for me." Asch bowed his head and turned, pulling himself out Luke's mind and back into his own.

The sun wasn't very high in the sky when he came back to awareness, just barely above the tallest buildings in front of him. Guy and Tear would be awake at this point so he lowered himself to the ground using the branches beneath him. Walking at a leisurely pace, he left the courtyard and entered the tall cathedral. Anise's mother passed him as he went through the main hall looking like she was going shopping, carrying a basket over one arm. She waved at him though he ignored her in favour of watching Jade step through the doorway almost lazily, if that were possible. Natalia and Guy came after looking a bit frazzled.

"I must ask that you move quickly," Jade spoke before anyone else managed to open their mouths. "Luke had shown signs of weakening after you left. Tear is currently making sure that nothing will happen but I don't know how long that will last. Natalia will help you in her place," Asch nodded, giving a brief glance to Natalia and Guy.

"We'd better leave now, then," he turned and started for the door with the blonds following behind him. He was curious, but he knew he didn't want to find out just how weak Luke had gotten. The image in his mind was enough to set him on his course.

* * *

"What do you suppose we'll find out here?" was Natalia's question as they hovered over that vast expanse that used to be Akzeriuth. St. Binah wasn't too far and they had used the Malkuth route in order to find the mining city. Below them, a barren stretch of land remained.

"I'm not sure yet," Asch replied as he turned to Noelle. "Find someplace to land. I need to be there physically," the pilot glanced back then nodded, turning the airship to the ground in a landing dive.

On the ground, the area didn't appear to be any different. The only change Natalia or Guy could see was the shift in Asch's posture. The scenery around them was as bleak grounded as it was in the air. Asch seemed to be the only one that could sense a difference.

The princess approached him and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder, asking softly, "What is it, Asch? What's here?" Guy continued to survey their surroundings as the God-General stared in one direction.

"I want you to stay here," he requested, drawing Guy's gaze toward him. The blond nobles watched his back as he started at a brisk pace in a seemingly random direction. They glanced at each other before following, knowing this was what Jade was talking about when he told them to come. They quickened their pace when Asch disappeared from their sight but froze once an invisible barrier was crossed, bombarding them with sounds of pain and feelings of betrayal.

"What?" Guy clutched his head and looked forward, finding Asch as he continued forward without stopping.

"I told you not to come," was his response. Natalia looked as if she wanted to say something but was stopped when the figure of a woman, bleeding from her head, appeared before the two of them.

-Who are you?- Asch stopped and whirled around, dashing back to them with the fiercest look of anger either of them had seen.

"Where is he?" he roared, drawing his sword and attempting to slice the woman in half. Guy would've been amused by this fact had it been any other situation considering the woman wouldn't have been able to answer but when she vanished to reappear behind her assailant, Guy was stunned.

-So you're back...- Asch only growled and tightened his grip on his sword.

"Where is he?" he repeated slowly. The woman only smirked, altering the path of blood.

-Now, why should we tell you that?- Natalia squeaked, skittering away from the form of a man that had materialized beside her. His one working eye glared at her before returning to Asch.

-Yeah, he's ours! He promised!- Guy and Natalia stared at the child before the woman, recognizing him as the one that had sank in front of their eyes. Asch went to strike him but the blade only passed through him, disrupting his image briefly.

-What do you think you're doing? Striking a child like that!- A girl passed through them, racing to the child and picking him up.

-If you keep annoying us like this, we might take you too,- Asch glared at the other teen, stepping back as the spirits surrounded the trio.

"Just try it," Asch dared, bringing his sword to a ready position.

-Oh, I don't think we need to go _that _far,- Asch's eyes widened as the old woman appeared immediately before him, her hand stretched out for his forehead.

However, just as her fingers brushed him, she was pushed back along with the rest of them.

-_Run! Don't stay! Get as far away as you can!_- Luke's voice echoed around them as Asch brought his hand up to cover his forehead and one eye.

"Luke?" Guy called as the spirits started to pick themselves up off the ground.

-_Go!_-

"No," Asch growled, dropping his hand and sheathing his sword.

"Asch!" Natalia reached after him as he started running, dodging the hands that grappled for him. The pair followed after him, careful not to touch the ones on the ground.

"Where are you going?" Guy veered to one side as the ground cracked sending a spray of mud into the air. He and Natalia hastened their pace so as to not be hit by it.

"After him!" Asch called back, not stopping.

Natalia's legs soon started to burn as they raced along the island, dodging cracks and towering boulders in their path. The calls of the spirits echoed dimly behind them, urging her forward and to not stop. Guy also showed signs of tiring, sweat beading on his brow. If it wasn't for the taunting behind them, he would be half tempted to stop.

Asch growled as he jumped over a particularly large rock in his path. Looming walls appeared out of the haze, coming to different levels and openings becoming visible. He didn't slow down as he streaked through the one in front of him. Inside, Guy and Natalia found the place to be dreadfully familiar. They passed support beams every few meters and broken tracks were scattered on the ground. The haze of the miasma covered fallen walls and rocks until they were almost upon them and they had to leap in order to avoid them.

"Can we slow down?" Natalia shouted, unable to hear the spirits any longer.

"No! If we do, he might not be there," Asch yelled back. He turned down a narrow tunnel, surprisingly able to keep his speed as he ran on the uneven terrain. Guy nearly ran passed it, not seeing it in time and Natalia had to slow down. Her heeled shoes would keep catching on the random rock.

A wordless yell bounced against the walls, wavering and breaking as they traveled. This spurred them on, following Asch as he turned and weaved through the near invisible branches of the mine.

-_No, please!_- His voice sobbed, followed by a cry of pain. Asch's heart raced, pounding harder than it ever had before. Fear gripped him as his mind flashed images before his eyes, his replica far worse than when he'd seen him that morning. Dull green eyes boring into him, blaming him for his current state. This spurred him on, knowing he couldn't let it happen.

Guy called out his name just as Natalia tripped. She fell with a gasp, scrapping her palms, elbows and knees against the hard rock. Guy stopped and turned back while Asch raced on. He didn't think as he gripped her arms and pulled her up, both of them starting to run again as she raised.

The God-General was barely visible at that point, Guy just catching his back as the tunnel curved. "Hurry," he breathed and they quickened their pace, Guy tugging on her arm every time she slipped.

-_Turn back!_-

Then they were out, the vast cavern before them high above their heads and the opposite wall far behind the veil of miasma. Asch continued to run, his strides becoming longer and faster. Natalia struggled to keep up as Guy pulled further ahead.

-_Stop!_- Natalia saw it coming before she was able to react. Tiny blades came whistling through the air, cutting the miasma apart and slicing their way past the trio. Her face was scratched and her sleeves were torn before she managed to dive for the dirt. Immediately she started concentrating on Healing Wind, hoping it would cover her, Guy and Asch.

-Well, well, isn't this surprising,- High pitched giggling surrounded them followed by the clang of a blade.

-Indeed. You'd think he would learn,- Asch grit his teeth and got to his feet as the spell took affect.

-And look! He brought friends!- The giggling continued as Guy and Natalia stood as well.

-Should we take them, too?-

-_No!_-

-You shut up!- They hurried forward as Luke cried out. In the back of Natalia's mind, she wondered how it was even possible for him to be there. As far as she knew, he was still in Daath.

-Uh-oh, he's getting angry,- The sing-song tone taunted them. Whistling started up again and they braced themselves, narrowly dodging the blades as they passed.

Finally the girls became visible, standing side-by-side with twin grins on their faces. They wore matching dresses that were torn in various places, showing the raw wounds that covered them. A hole stood out in their chests where they'd clearly been impaled. Dull dark hair fell over their shoulders and grey eyes stared at them. Short swords were held in their outward hands.

The left tugged at the right's sleeve. -Hey, they're staring. Do you think we freak them out?-

-Nah, not if they've seen the elder. He's still scared of her,- They giggled again, leaning on each other and pressing their foreheads together. The men drew their swords and Natalia unclipped her bow, pulling out an arrow from her quiver.

"Where is he?" Asch pointed his sword at them, green eyes burning with anger. The left took a deep breath, leaning back and swing her arm out to the side.

-Why would we tell you that? You'd only take him away,- she laced her fingers with her partner so she wouldn't fall over. Natalia and Guy shared a glance then stepped closer to Asch.

-Ooh, looks like they're preparing for a fight,- The right one straightened her partner and they took mirroring stances.

-It's a good thing we were good to go,- They grinned again.

-_No!_- A wall of gold erupted between them as a familiar burst of power washed over them, bringing the wave of wind with it. Natalia nearly fell from the force of it, flailing her arms to keep balanced and Guy grunted, bracing himself on the ground. A sphere of energy slowly descended from the ceiling and the twins screamed with rage.

"What...?" Natalia's gaze slowly filled with wonder at the golden glow before them. It was round and about half the size of Asch who stood in front of it, shining enough to bathe them with warmth and energy.

-What?- The right one trembled and her grip on her partner's hand tightened.

-How dare he!- The left one was just as angry, -intervening bastard.-

Asch slowly stepped forward with his blade clattering to the ground. He held out his arms as if to embrace the ball of energy.

"Hey," Guy called as the glow seemed to gain more life the closer Asch got, morphing its shape to that of a human then dropping into waiting arms.

Natalia watched in silence as the glow melded with her first love, inducing the light upon him before fading. She cried out as he started to drop, Guy dashing forward to catch him.

-Dammit!- Natalia turned abruptly, nearly giving herself whiplash as the spirits all gathered behind them. She sent an arrow flying and it passed through the adults, freezing them in their position.

"Let's go!" Guy shouted, adjusting his hold on the original and picking up his sword. He ran passed Natalia and she followed, shooting the spirits before they got too close to Guy.

-Get them!- The twins shouted in unison behind the barrier._  
_

* * *

_It was warm. Different from the usual. And painless. Where was he?_

_It was light. Another change. The room was small and plain containing only a mirror, a bed and a cot. Where was this? He didn't know it. _

_Standing and wondering. The floor was cold._

_The door was opening. A person entered. He stared. They stared too. Then they approached. Quickly. _

_He cried out. Move! They stopped. He dropped to the floor. _

_Flash. Metal. Sharp. A dagger._

_Lunging forward. Grasping. Clutching. They would want this, right?_

_Pending release...  
_

* * *

They were back on the Albiore, though Asch was still unconscious. Noelle barely questioned them when they had come running full tilt, only lifting off once the ramp was safely put into position. Asch was placed into a chair and Guy had reclined it until the body it was holding was mostly horizontal. Natalia had healed what she could of the burns on his forehead. Scars would remain from where the elder had touched him with her poison touch.

Now the three conscious blonds were watching the grounds below them through the windows, not speaking a word. They were back on the outer lands and on a straight track for Daath, stopping not being in their plans.

Natalia made her routine check on the red-head, looking over the mark on and over his left eye where the old woman had managed to touch. She pondered over this, questioning if Luke had gone through the same and settled on finding out once they got back for the fifth time that trip.

She looked up as the ship started to slow then lower to the ground. _Finally..._

Guy stood from his seat and went to go pick up Asch. He was slapped away before he even managed to get a hand under his head.

"Don't touch me," was the mumbled order. Natalia raised herself from her seat as Asch sat up, making Guy back away. She was about to say something when he seemed to freeze, emerald eyes going wide.

"That _idiot_!" he bellowed, resulting in the three others on the ship to jump as Asch made a mad-dash for the back. Guy caught his bearings just before Natalia did, chasing after him and watching as he jumped off the lowering ramp and sprinted for the city. The pair waited for the ramp to be completely lowered then followed after the seemingly distressed God-General.

Natalia watched his back as he climbed and jumped from roof to roof, building to building, in a clear route for the cathedral. She briefly wondered why he would take such a path when Guy's shout made her look the tower where a falling form caught her eye. The princess cried out as she reached uselessly and started to run.

Guy stayed put, watching in horror at the sight of his best friend falling and Tear hanging helplessly out the window.

The citizens of Daath went to any place where they could see this rare occurrence, balconies, the streets, and even their own rooftops. Those that did go up wondered even more at the red and black streak that flew past them and they all held their breath in apprehension as he made a final leap. He arched through the air, arms out stretched and eyes narrowed in determination. He would catch him.

The bystanders had to look away when Asch made contact. The brilliant glow that had erupted from them had everyone else turning away. And once people could see again, the ones they were watching were nowhere in sight.

The entire city was silent for only a moment, then Tear screamed, Luke's name echoing throughout the city.


	3. Chapter 3

Within Auldrant, there are sites that hadn't been touched since the Dawn Age, the Tower of Rem being one of them. However, there's another that is much closer to a place of civilization. Deep beneath the lowest known levels of the watcher's city rests abandoned ruins. Not having seen the light of day for the longest time, creatures of the darkness began to take over, breaking down walls and tearing open pipes and wires. It was this place where Lorelei deemed to be the safest place for those he called himself to stay.

The light began dim, but even then, creatures fled. This was new, unknown, and they needed to get away immediately. This could be investigated later. When the light grew big enough to light the area around it, not a movement could be seen. Then, time seemed to reverse itself, walls that had crumbled starting to rebuild themselves, surrounding the light and sheltering it, shielding it from any chance of harm. Rumbles and groans echoed throughout the musty place, foundations and supports rearranging themselves to stand firm once more.

By the time the sounds of grating stone faded away, a small, single story house stood where it had once fallen, illuminated by the particles of light that surrounded it in a barrier. Inside, the brilliant light had faded, revealing the huddled forms of Lorelei's scions. Both were sleeping soundly, keeping close to each other for warmth in the cool air that surrounded them.

It wasn't long before one began to awaken, clutching the other in his grasp tighter as instinct filled him with the need to protect. But when he became fully aware, he hurriedly removed himself from the hold, brushing himself off as he stood near the wall. The red-head looked around the room, trying not to stare at the person he had been holding on to like a life-line.

Confusion curved the corners of his lips as he took in what was clearly a bedroom. Two beds rested against opposite walls with a simple desk between them. A lamp stood on its surface and Asch crossed the room to turn it on before taking in the single dresser at the end of one bed and the two doors at the end of the other. Then he looked to the replica on the floor and sighed heavily.

Transferring him to a bed was quick work and he was soon exploring the rest of the house. One of the doors turned out to be a rather large closet that held quite a few odds and ends aside from the expected clothing. The other led into a hallway. The door across was a plain empty room that held no purpose whatsoever while the door next to that showed a laundry room. Or so he assumed. The appliances weren't of any variety he'd ever seen before. The door next to the bedroom was revealed to be another closet, though it sported linens. The final door was the bathroom which he noted with some relief.

The end of the hall opened to a sitting room with a small kitchenette off to the side. He crossed his arms as his frown deepened. There was no front door. Whatever it was that put them there was either really stupid or really smart.

* * *

Ion's room was in a state of minor chaos as everyone tried to understand what had just happened. Tear had gone into the next room to check on Luke and for a moment everything had seemed fine. That was until the shouting started. Luke had awoken - that much was certain - and gotten a hold on one of Tear's daggers.

By that time, Jade and Anise had entered and they immediately tried to take the weapon away. In his panic, Luke had climbed back onto the bed, the dagger still in his hand and nearly stepping on Mieu. When he had fallen out the window, Jade only just managed to grab the back of Tear's dress before she followed after him. Ion had come in and was standing next to Anise when a flash nearly blinded them all. The scream brought them back to their senses, Anise and Ion stepping closer as Jade pulled Tear back in.

Now, the melodist was still clearly in shock as she sat on the bed clutching Ion's guardian in a death grip. She wasn't crying, not yet. But Natalia certainly was, curled up behind Tear and Anise. She had come in shortly afterwards, telling what she had seen through her sobs and tears. She was still asking questions that no one had the answers to. The cheagle was trying to comfort her, attempting to answer her questions and patting her hair every once in a while.

Guy was conversing with Jade and Ion about the events down in the Qliphoth. He was shocked about Luke but this needed to be told. He described the spirits and how Asch already seemed to know them, hardly being phased when they appeared. He also described what happened when Asch was touched by one of them.

Jade's eyes narrowed, recalling the unexplained burns that had appeared on Luke before. "It seems that just mentally, these apparitions are dangerous," he claimed. Guy appeared startled.

"Luke has them too?" He grit his teeth as Ion nodded, being one of the ones that had to bandage him.

"I think there's something else here, something greater than us," he said, glancing to the murmuring Natalia, "not to mention that both Asch and Luke are missing now." Jade nodded.

"Let's not forget that the lands are still falling," he reminded, "without either of them, we cannot control the Sephiroth." Guy felt like punching the colonel.

"Guy," Ion's tone was warning, sensing his growing frustration. He then turned to Jade, "Are you talking about the disappearance of Rugnica and the Zao Desert?"

Jade nodded, "Yes, I'd actually like to look at the Closed score." Guy looked at him, "I want to see if any of this was foreseen just not released." Jade looked down at Ion who frowned.

"I had actually come back here to look at it since I never bothered before but I don't recall reading anything about the lands falling," he revealed, gaze falling to the floor.

Anise watched as the three males fell into silence, still held in Tear's arms. She lifted her head slightly, trying not to pull away. "So we're going to the chapel?" Jade merely turned while the other two tried not to show their surprise.

"I think that would be the best move at this time," the colonel replied, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Anise nodded then nudged Tear, "Tear?" The sixteen year old blinked and slowly lowered he gaze to the girl. "We're going to the chapel. Do you wanna come?" There was a brief pause before she nodded. Anise smiled then leaned back onto Natalia's legs.

"Natalia," she shifted her head to show she was listening, "would you like to come with us?" Again there was a brief pause before she started to sit up. Taking that as an affirmative, Anise pulled away from the two of them. Mieu floated to Natalia's shoulder and curled into her neck, his own form of a hug.

The sound of a door shutting stopped them and the men turned, viewing the closed door before them.

"Grand Maestro Mohs," Jade's brow twitched as Dist's lazy drawl came through the door, "allow me to confirm your promise." The girls stood from the bed, quietly making their way closer. "If I help you restart the war, you'll give me Professor Nebilim's replica data," Jade's jaw clenched, an action only noticed by Ion.

"Leave it to me, I'll take it from Van," Tear frowned and crossed her arms.

"Then allow Dist the Rose," Guy's eye twitched, "to offer you a plan for resuming the war." Here, everyone listened harder. "First, I believe we should have Fon Master Ion issue a proclamation ending the truce." Everyone watched as Ion stomped forward in an uncharacteristic bout of anger and threw open the door, interrupting Mohs.

"I hope you don't mind if I refuse your order," Ion stated, glaring in such a way that the two shivered. Guy and Jade rushed in, taking the chance to knock them out. The girls watched as Dist tried to escape by flying only to be thwarted when Jade tossed his spear. The weapon lodged into the back of the chair, cutting some hair in the process. The God-General fainted from the shock.

Guy took care of Mohs with a simple hit to the back of the neck. Natalia cringed as Dist and his chair fell on top of the over weight Maestro.

"Anise, the rope," Guy directed, hauling Dist and Mohs apart as Jade recalled his spear. Anise came in with the bindings, tying Mohs around the wrist and ankles like cattle while Guy held him. They then turned to Dist with the remaining length of rope.

"That's a bit much, don't you think," the archer gave her opinion quietly. Tear smiled slightly.

"They're men, what do you expect," Natalia shook her head and sighed, stepping forward to meet the rest of the group with the younger woman behind her.

"It sounds like Mohs and Van have different objectives," Jade voiced the thoughts that everyone had.

"And that Dist is playing them both for his own ends," Guy added then shook his head, "this is getting to be too much." Anise looked at him with an almost guilty expression.

"Luke and Asch are missing and Mohs wants to restart the war," Natalia summarized gazing thoughtfully at her feet. "But what about Van?" she wondered, lifting her head to see everyone else, "What does he want?"

"He's trying to drop the Outer Lands and exterminate humanity," Tear said instantly. Her hands turned into fists, shaking slightly from the pressure. Natalia placed a calming hand on her arm.

"Van doesn't strike me as a person interested in pointless slaughter. Mohs feels like a threat since his objective is at least clear," Jade pointed out. The others nodded.

"But what are we gonna do? Some people still think we're dead," Anise placed her hands on her hips for emphasis.

"We'll go down stairs first," Ion re-entered the conversation, "I'll read you the closed score like Jade requested then you can try and look for Luke."

"We can go to King Ingobert first, see if he has any information," Natalia bit her lip at Guy's statement.

"But father..." the princess trailed off, showing her uncertainty.

"If you're father denies all those years of memories, then he doesn't deserve to be your father," Guy said then smiled and looked at Natalia, "I learned that from Luke." Natalia blushed and hurriedly lowered her gaze.

Ion smiled then cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, "Let's go then. I have a feeling we don't have much time." Everyone nodded and made their way out of the room after locking Dist and Mohs in the other room.

"You don't think they'll do anything?" Tear questioned Ion on their way down.

"Unless they launch themselves out the window, they won't be going anywhere," was the reply.

* * *

_They were calling. Searching. Angry._

_"You promised!" He trembled._

_"Answer us!" His eyes burned._

_"Answer to your promise!" His chest ached._

_I'm sorry…_

* * *

They reached the Fonstone without much recognition and gathered close as Ion positioned himself directly behind it. "This was formed by combining the First through Sixth Fonestones," he started as he placed his hand on the stone, "Fon Masters can read the entire score from fragments but the volume is immense. I'll just go over the score regarding the collapses these past few years," he looked over everybody before closing his eyes and allowing the power of the Fonstone to take over him.

"ND2000. In Kimlasca shall be born the scion of Lorelei's power," he recited the words as they flowed through him, "He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called 'the light of the sacred flame' and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity.

"ND2002. The one who would seize glory shall destroy the island of his birth, a land named Hod. War shall persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth for a full cycle of seasons.

"ND2018. The young scion of Lorelei's power shall bring his people to the miner's city. There, the youth will turn power to calamity and be as a weapon of Kimlasca, destroying himself and the city. Thereafter, the land of Rugnica will be enveloped in war, and Malkuth shall lose territory. Kimlasca-Lanvaldear shall thrive, and this shall lead to unprecedented prosperity."

He cut himself from the power, feeling his energy flow to the stone as he fell to his knees with a gasp. Anise was at his side in a moment, her hands bracing his shoulders as he regained his breath.

"That's all," he said after a moment, swallowing thickly and standing, "that's all the Sixth Fonstone says about the collapse."

"So," Guy sighed, "all it talks about is Akzeriuth and the war..."

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought, taking in the information with tapping fingers and crossed arms.

"Who's the 'scion of Lorelei's power'?" Tear asked slowly, looking away from the edge of the fixture that held the Fonstone.

"Luke, of course," Natalia answered immediately as her arms dropped to her sides.

"But Luke was only born seven years ago," Tear countered with a shake of her head, having thought of it herself.

"This is ND2018. It said 2000," Jade pointed out, "so that has to be Asch."

"Asch was supposed to perish along with Akzeriuth," Tear looked back to the Fonstone as she frowned, "but he's still alive."

"But Luke went to Akzeriuth before that could happen," Anise put in then rocked back on her heels, "this Score is messed up."

"Asch did show up later, but he was no longer called Luke - the 'light of the sacred flame'," Guy's hand dropped from his chin as the group fell into another silence.

"Luke's existence," Tear started slowly, realization widening her eyes, "the existence of a replica - it's missing from Yulia's Score."

* * *

_Dark again. Warmth. Dim lights and the sound of pacing. Did they find him?_

_Shifting. Lifting. Staring. What...?_

"'Bout time, dreck."

_Moving. Looking. Searching. Where...?_

"Don't know, but you need to eat something."

_Eat...? What did he mean? He didn't have to eat. They had him. He couldn't eat._

"Of course. Do you want to starve?"

_But they... They had him, didn't they? Where did they go? He couldn't see them. Couldn't hear them. Confusion. Hello?_

"Luke! They aren't here!"

_Not... here? Where were they then? Did they go somewhere?_

"No, and they never will be if I can help it."

_Why...? Fear. They would hurt him bad if they ever found him._

"You were dying. I don't know if you realized it, but you were dying."

_But they... They wanted that. They wanted him and he had to go to them._

_Pain again. Tears and aching sobs. They were going to find him, he knew it. Just like they found him the first time. He had to go before they hurt him too badly. And Asch. Asch would get hurt too._

_No! They'll hurt you! Pleading for understanding. Racing. Overwhelming. Fighting for control._

_Black._

* * *

After three days of pacing, figuring out the various uses around the place, and being more bored than he could ever remember being, Luke had woken up. It had started out as an echo in the back of his mind, a dim awareness of Luke's thoughts and emotions that slowly grew. Not that he could make anything of it, though. Anything familiar only resonated when he spoke and talking back only seemed to help the confusion. He had thrown himself into the desk chair by the end of it, restraining himself from smacking the wood with his face by tugging at his hair with a groan. He cursed his decision to try and help.

A quiet sound brought his attention back to his replica and he sighed. Another nightmare. He stood and made for the bathroom, returning with a damp cloth for the tears he knew would be coming. He didn't have to wait long once he'd pulled the chair over. The sight still unnerved him despite the things he had witnessed in his life. A person crying blood wasn't something he thought he'd be getting used to.

He methodically wiped the tears away as they slowly gathered, ignoring the tremors that shook him as the nightmare carried on. If Asch had to wager a guess, the spirits still had some kind of hold on him. One that didn't break after his trip to the ruined mines. His other hand rose to his forehead at the thought, pressing against the elder's scar. The spirits were unnatural. Tainted beings that fed on guilt and death.

His jaw tightened as he brought his hand down, brushing Luke's hair out of the way before resting it in his lap. Damned idiot. Only he could get into the dumbest situations. And he always had to drag himself into it. It was infuriating.

He huffed and leaned back, refolding the cloth to a cleaner portion then leaning forward again. He focused on his work, slowly moving back and forth to prevent the tears from falling in Luke's hair or onto the sheets. "Wake up, dumb ass," he murmured partially to himself, "so I don't have to do this anymore. It's a pain." Part of him hoped for a response and he scowled. No doubt any response he received would be just as irritating and confusing as it was before.

Luke moved under his hand and he paused, lifting his brow as he wondered at the unlikeliness of it. But again, Luke moved and Asch pulled away, realizing that sometime during his musing, Luke had calmed and the tears had faded from the stark red they had been. Looking at the cloth, he found less red on the side he'd been using than he expected. He frowned and looked back. Some kind of cleansing ritual, then?

Luke's eyes flickered once before he stilled, his breath evening out in sleep. Well then. Asch scoffed and stood, leaving the room to toss the cloth in the laundry before going to the kitchen. If the idiot wasn't going to get up and eat, he was.

* * *

Asch blinked in confusion, staring at the clear blue in front of him. A small breeze lifted a strand of his hair and he watched it fall back, distracted by the red that gleamed in the light. When it disappeared from his vision, he continued to stare into the blue. He was content with just staying still, not moving a muscle while the world passed him by.

Then the blue was blocked by a familiar face. He couldn't recall who it was as kind green eyes watched him with light red strands just barely out of the way. A smile graced their lips as they pulled back and Asch followed him with his eyes, only turning his head. The teenager stood and stepped away, still smiling as he spun in the spot and jogged away. His long white jacket trailed behind him, fluttering in the breeze as he danced. Surprisingly, he never tripped on his pants since his toes were barely visible.

Time seemed to slow as the teen faced him, the smile widening to a grin. Asch sighed and closed his eyes. He could stand to stay like this forever, nothing to worry about and nothing to truly bother him. Only peace.

When he opened his eyes again, his breath stopped. The red-head in front of him was falling, his back facing him. He could see the jacket slowly turn red and his heart skipped a beat when he saw why. A blade protruded from his chest, a very familiar blade. His blade.

Everything turned red in an instant. The grass became a deep crimson, the sky a brilliant ruby. Tones of dark, almost black red separated everything. The teen's skin nearly blended with the sky as he stretched, his hand reaching for Asch. He tried to move, willing his arms to shift or his lips to form a word. His efforts were fruitless. His mouth opened with a cry as blood like tears poured, pained eyes staring at him. Emerald.


	4. Chapter 4

Asch jerked awake, his breath coming in harsh gasps as he clutched at the sheets. The nightmare quickly fled his mind, leaving him with a vague sense of horror as he worked to calm his breathing. He pulled his hand through his hair, clearing his bangs from his face as he looked across the room. No change. He sighed and let his head fall forward, contemplating on returning to sleep. A flash of red crossed his mind and he clenched his jaw before pushing the sheets away and getting out. He turned on the lamp as he left the room, heading straight for the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Nearly ten minutes later, he was sinking into the desk chair with a small sigh as he breathed the scent of the coffee. He closed his eyes as he relaxed and allowed the brew to fully wake him. Another ten minutes and he would get to waking the dreck up.

He looked at the replica from over the rim, taking in what was obviously a state of sleep and not just simple unconsciousness. The day before seemed to have been a switch. He tapped the side of his mug. But a switch from what? What had been the difference? The spirits? He scoffed to himself. Obviously, but what was the connection? Did the spirits somehow alter the mind? They had played on the idiot's guilt. Used it for their own ends. He tilted his head at that, watching as said idiot turned slightly. What was it that the spirits wanted so badly?

He huffed and drained the last of the coffee, setting it on the desk as he leaned forward. Wake up time.

* * *

Natalia chewed on the inside of her lip as they approached Baticul, clutching the edge of her seat in the Albiore to keep her nerves from showing further. Various scenarios of her father's rejection played in her mind, many of them ending with them being arrested or killed. Or both, her mind seemed to taunt her and she gripped the seat tighter.

"Hey," she jumped as Tear placed a comforting hand on her shoulder then smiled apologetically. It appeared she wasn't hiding her nerves as well as she thought. "It'll be alright," Tear assured, "everything will work out." She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Tear smiled softly.

"You still have us," she told her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before settling back into her own seat.

"Thank you," Natalia murmured as she looked to the window, watching the clouds as the Albiore passed them by. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, trying to still the minute shaking she could feel in her hands. Everything will be fine. She released her breath and clenched her jaw. If only she could believe it.

They managed to land and get to the castle without incident, quickly scaling the tiers of Baticul with very little speaking. It was just outside the audience chamber when Natalia paused. She bowed her head, hoping beyond belief that her father had yet to be told. Mohs' voice echoed through the back of her mind and she swallowed. Hopefully, he had lied at the time but if Almandine had reported the incident…

"Natalia," Jade urged and she nodded, raising her chin and straightening her back in the image of the princess she was raised to be. It wasn't just her future riding on this meeting.

"Let's go," she murmured, striding forward to push through the doors and into the chamber. "Father!" she called as the King stood, surprise, awe, and a small bit of apprehension showing through as his guard fell.

"Natalia," her name came out in nearly a whisper and she nodded, pacing the rest of the room to reach the steps to the throne. "You're truly alive. I hesitated to believe it when I received reports of your sightings yet," he trailed off as he sank back into his seat and Natalia smiled. He didn't seem to know yet.

"I apologize for not returning sooner but there were more pressing matters at hand," she stepped back as the rest of her group came to a stop behind her, "Father, Grand Maestro Mohs want this war between Malkuth and Kimlasca and he will do everything in his power for it to keep. He has already been to Malkuth claiming that the fall of Akzeriuth is at the fault of our country and I'm willing to believe he is en route to Baticul to report something similar. Whatever you do, do not heed his words."

Ingobert was frowning, "Natalia, this is a very large accusation you're pinning on the Grand Maestro, are you absolutely sure?"

"Very much so," Natalia nodded, "there's also the matter of the lands at this moment. I'm sure you've noticed the disappearance of Chesedonia and most of the desert."

"Indeed."

"They will not be the last."

"But the Score!"

Natalia shook her head as her hands curled into fists, "The Score isn't to be trusted! Already, events have happened that-"

"Your Majesty!" Natalia spun in surprise, watching with wide eyes as Alpine entered the chamber with a woman at his heels, "Don't listen to the lies of this impostor!" Natalia's breath hitched as the rest of the group tensed.

"You mean," Ingobert's whole being seemed to crumble as Alpine nodded.

"She confirmed it," He gestured to the woman who only gave a slight bow.

"Nanny?"

The woman refused to look at her, "Your daughter was stillborn," she reported, "but the Queen fell into despair. So I took my daughter's child, who was born a few days earlier, to her…"

Natalia turned to the King, "Father, please!"

"Silence!" Alpine slashed his hand at her and she stepped back, feeling a hand come up to rest on her shoulder. Alpine faced the King once again, "She took me to where the Princess was buried. I'd like for you to see the proof of her words."

Ingobert slowly pulled his head from his hands and stood, still managing to move with grace despite his distress, "Very well," he nodded to Alpine, "take me there."

"Father!" Natalia bit back a sob as the King walked towards the doors.

"Guards, capture them!" The hand on her shoulder tightened it's grip as Alpine's shout signalled the soldiers into moving.

"Fight them off!" Jade's voice commanded from right behind her as the door closed behind her father. He was the one holding her shoulder. "We can't afford to be stopped here."

"This seriously blows," Anise quipped as Natalia shakily retrieved her bow from her back.

"Anything different would be suspicious," Jade returned and then they were fighting.

It didn't take as long as she had expected. Either the soldiers had gotten weaker during their leave or they had gotten stronger and she highly doubted her- the King would let his army weaken when there was a war brewing.

"Let's get out of here," Tear offered and the group made for the exit. Natalia kept her bow clutched in her trembling grip as she ran, not trusting herself to be able to retrieve it if she placed it on her back.

She didn't end up needing it, the group clearing the bridge with little more than curious and confused glances as they fled the city. She sank to the ground once they had reached a veritable level of safety, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. Tear kneeled next to her and placed a comforting hand on her back. She didn't say anything and for that, Natalia was grateful.

"So, what do we do now?" Anise spoke up as she rose to her feet, nodding to Tear in thanks.

"Not Daath," Guy ruled out, "Ion said he'd send a message if he found anything about Luke and going there might hold him back form searching."

"We'll return to Sheridan," Jade decided, "Iemon and the others might be able to come up with something that could help us. If not, I'm sure our pilot misses her family."

"Aw, Colonel," Anise cooed, "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," Jade smiled down at her, "I'm simply making sure that she doesn't become despondent and hold us back in the future."

"Cold," Guy muttered as Tear sighed.

* * *

Asch scowled as he stood in the hallway, watching the idiot as he stared out the sitting room window. There wasn't much out there, just a wall of gold and barely visible shadows beyond it. Though, judging by the emotions he could sense in the back of his mind, the idiot wasn't actually looking outside. He huffed. If he wasn't going to do much more than stand there, then he could do something about himself. He went to the linen closet, pulled out a towel then returned to lob the length of fabric at the back of the reject's head. Surprise flickered through that was echoed by an actual cry as Luke turned around to stare at him, the towel falling to his hand.

"You've been standing there for nearly an hour," Asch pointed out with a glare then stepped to the side, "go make yourself productive and take a shower." Luke continued to stare and Asch continued to glare until he finally started moving. He nearly tripped over the chair on his way by and Asch rolled his eyes as he went into the kitchen. "Food will be done when you're out," he received a hum of acknowledgement and he turned to watch Luke's back as it disappeared down the hall. The first real attempt at communication since he woke up. Though he dreaded to think about what it would lead to. Incessant chatter and endless worries about his friends, his mind supplied and he cursed himself. Food. He was making food, not thinking about the dreck in the future.

Something quick, he mused as he opened the cupboard and considered his options. Pasta was quick. There, decision made. He grabbed the dried noodles and a jar of sauce before moving to the freezer and taking out a pack of ground meat. Then he set about preparing it. Simple stuff. Pot of water to boil and a frying pan for the meat and sauce.

When was the last time he'd had pasta? He remembered someone making it one night where they had stayed in an inn though he couldn't remember exactly how long ago that was. He frowned, but wait... Didn't he just have it a couple days before the whole mess in Daath started? Yes, yes he did. It had a bit more than just sauce and meat but he did have it. But he could also remember having some kind of stew then- Wait.

His hands slammed onto the counter and he heard a thump as the idiot probably tripped in the shower. This was getting stupid. He worked to separate his thoughts from the reject's and if he felt a string of indignate hurt flow through as he untangled the threads he wasn't making any note of it.

He wondered why he'd taken to keeping the link open. Then he wondered why he didn't just close it back up again. It was tempting, he figured as he registered the other's emotions turning south. He scowled and sent him a mental nudge. Though, if keeping it the way it currently was kept him from wallowing he supposed he'd have to keep at it. He had no patience for his self-pity.

* * *

Ion hummed softly to himself as he searched the shelves of the abandoned library, taking care to not disturb the dust too much and make a mess of himself. He was sure he had seen it once months ago, hidden among texts of similar colouring though he struggled to remember if it was a deep red or a deep blue. The shadows that filled most of the room made it difficult to recall. Genesis… genesis… genesis… The word turned into the lyrics to his song as he scanned the spines, not noticing when then they took on a green hue.

There!

He reached up and pulled the tome from the shelf, holding his breath to avoid breathing the dislodged dust. Genesis of the World. He grinned and made his way to the exit, proud of his accomplishment. Jade could definitely make use of it.

He took a closer look at it once he got into better light, laughing slightly as he realized it was neither red nor blue but green instead and thumbed through the pages. Yes, it would be very useful, now if only he could figure out a way to get it to them. He'd have to send someone to hand it to them in person, sending through the carrier system was simply too dangerous. Anyone could see the book for what it was if they got a glimpse inside. There was also Mohs to consider as well. He'd gone up to unlock the door shortly after the group had left to Baticul and seeing as he had yet to be approached by the man after several hours he could assume Mohs had taken his leave of Daath for the time being.

He hummed lowly as he wiped the rest of the dust off the cover of the tome. There was also Luke and Asch to consider. He'd have to ask around, see if there had been any strange sightings that could lead him to them. He knew the occupants of his city would have little information with them being witness to the initial event. But if a flash took them, then something similar had to leave them somewhere. Perhaps he should go around in person. The people were more likely to answer to the Fon Master himself if not to his messenger. But then… He sighed and shook his head. He had to take care the issues that were floating around Daath, not leave them to someone else once again. He could tell Tritheim was doing most of it just by looking at his haggard appearance. No, he would have to send a missive to the major cities instead and hope that they wouldn't get intercepted. He would have to deal with asking around his own city between work.

He held the tome close and looked up just in time for an acolyte to come careening around the corner and run clear into him. He managed to catch himself on the wall though the book and the acolyte himself both tumbled to the floor with his hat rolling further along the corridor. Ion blinked in surprise.

"I am so sorry, Fon Master!" came the immediate rush as the acolyte picked himself up and hurried to retrieve his hat, "I didn't expect to find you down this way, no one ever comes through here. Please, if there's anything I can do," he trailed off as he placed his hat back on his head, hiding his hair. He then bent to pick up the tome Ion had dropped and held it out, waiting for him to take it back.

He didn't take it immediately, taking in the acolyte's almost nondescript appearance after replacing the hat. "Tell me, what's your name?" His head tilted in curiosity.

"L-Loren, sir," was his reply and Ion's intrigue grew.

"Why don't you come with me, Loren," he smiled as he took the tome back and tucked it under his arm, "I'd like to ask you a few things."

"But," his eyes darted down the corridor, down towards the library, Ion noticed, "the Commandant wanted me to retrieve-"

"I'll take care of that," he smiled assuringly, "I'll explain what happened when he asks."

Loren nodded slowly then bowed his head, "Lead the way, then, Fon Master." Ion's smile widened.

"Please, call me Ion," he requested and continued making his way to his rooms. He wondered what else was hiding in the depths of Daath.

* * *

_Lovely child of sound..._


	5. Chapter 5

It was a very curious situation he found himself in, Ion had to admit. He certainly hadn't expected to come across such an anomaly at any point in his life but considering the similarities between Luke's life and his own, he guessed another point could be added to put them closer together. He sighed thoughtfully, though really, if he _had _expected to hear something of this nature, he figured it would be in passing. Not nearly knocking him over. He looked over his shoulder at Loren as he opened the door to his rooms. Loren stared back in confusion and some apprehension. He smiled reassuringly though it didn't seem to ease him any.

"Don't worry so much," he told him as he stepped inside, "I'm not going to punish you or anything. It was an honest accident."

"Then, why," Loren slowly stepped in after him and closed the door, "did we come all the way up here?"

"I needed to come up here anyway," Ion gave a light shrug as he set the tome on his desk. "Now," he approached Loren who tensed as he drew closer, "I happened to know of two people that share your features." Loren tensed even further, "I must admit, meeting you is a bit of a surprise; never would I have expected to see someone like you running around, especially here."

Ion tilted his head, meeting nervous green eyes, "Should I be expecting another?" At that, Loren looked away, his hands clenched and jaw tight in a familiar stance of stubborn silence. Ion backed off a bit, moving to stand near his desk.

"I'm not mad," he clarified, "just curious. I was under the impression there was only one success."

"I wouldn't call myself a success," Loren blurted, his eyes darting to Ion for only a moment, "I was imperfect. I couldn't do what was required. I couldn't… " There was a lull as he hesitated and Ion thought.

"A hyperresonance," he offered softly. Loren nodded.

"I was cast off to die like the others before me," he continued, "and from what I can tell, there were no others after me. I was the last."

Ion nodded as he sat in one of the chairs before his desk, "How did you get to be here, then?" Loren didn't answer. He just bowed his head, his lips thinning as his hands curled into fists again. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me," Ion told him as he leaned back and pulled the tome from his desk, opening it to the index. He didn't look as Loren sighed.

"My apologies, Fon Master," Loren bowed slightly, "it's just… My reasons are my own."

"I believe I told you to call me Ion," he smiled as Loren blinked in surprise.

"S-sir?"

"None of that," Ion shook his head as he turned to a specific page of the book.

Loren took a step forward, "Sir, I don't-" he shook his head in confusion, "I don't understand. How did you know?"

Ion paused in his reading and looked at Loren with careful consideration. "Loren, can I trust you?" he asked and Loren nodded almost automatically.

"Yes, sir, I believe so," he replied. Ion nodded in return.

"Then, I'd like you to do something for me," he started as he grabbed a scrap piece of paper and slipped it between the pages. They might find that bit interesting. "There's a certain group of people that have been helping me with a rather important task and I need someone to deliver something to them." He stood and stepped closer, holding the book to his chest, "Loren, I want you to travel with them. Help them where they need it and let them help you."

Loren frowned, "Sir-"

"Ion."

"Ion," Loren corrected with a sigh, "I don't think I'm in need of any help, honestly."

"You're here for a reason," Ion stated, "one that I believe these people can help you with even if you don't think so." Loren looked at him skeptically. Ion offered him a soft smile, "Just give them a chance. They might surprise you."

Loren sighed again and nodded, "When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow?" Ion suggested, moving to sit behind his desk, "I'm sure you have some things you'd like to clear up."

"Tomorrow is fine," Loren agreed, "will that be all?"

"Just one more. An answer to your earlier question," Ion smiled at the wariness in his eyes, "I knew because I knew what to look for. I have some experience with your situation."

Loren swallowed, "I see."

"Go on," Ion waved to the door, "I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

_"We'll find you."_

_They echoed._

_Dim voices brushed against him._

_"We're searching."_

_He trembled._

_"We know you can hear us."_

_Echoes surrounded him. His breath shuddered._

_"We'll find you."_

* * *

Loren woke up the next day earlier than he wanted to. The sun was making its way over the rooftops by the time he reached a floor with windows and he briefly questioned himself on why he hadn't just gone back to sleep for another hour. The Fon Master probably wouldn't have minded. He hitched his pack higher on his shoulder. Maybe he was actually excited to be getting out of the city for once. Though, he mused with a wry frown, it certainly didn't feel like it. His head hurt. He made a note to get a coffee from a cafe on his way out. Yes, that was exactly what he needed.

He paused at the glyph room, standing at the edge and staring up between the crossing walkways to where the Fon Master's glyph would land. Had he already come down? He didn't know his sleeping habits; would he have gotten up around the time he did or was he just waking now? Loren looked at the door to the main hall for a moment then looked back towards the ceiling. He really didn't want to walk up anymore stairs.

Decision made, he went for the door, resolving to wait by the main doors and possibly check that he had everything he needed.

So he waited. It only took 15 minutes for the Fon Master to come down from his tower which he spent not rooting through his bag and double checking but staring into a dark corner trying to get his headache to subside. He jumped when the Fon Master appeared at his elbow, frowning at the ever present smile on the young leader's face.

"Fon Master," he greeted with a nod and he received a huff as the smile turned into a disapproving frown.

"Ion, Loren," the Fon Master corrected then sighed when Loren did nothing more than blink. "Here's what I want you bring them," he relented as he held out the tome and pulled an envelope from his pocket, "You're to give it to Jade Curtiss along with this letter."

Loren took both of them, giving a cursory glance over the envelope before taking a good look at the book. He raised a brow at the title, "Fon Ma- Ion?" he looked up into a glare and quickly corrected himself.

"Jade will explain everything better than I can," Ion told him, "trust me."

"Alright," Loren sighed and pulled his bag around to slip the book and letter inside. "How many people are there, anyway? I need to know what to look for."

"Six - no, five," Loren frowned in confusion as Ion sighed. "Sorry, one of their group went missing yesterday and I'm trying to work out where they went," he explained though Loren still felt slightly confused. "Anyway, never mind that. You don't need to concern yourself with it."

"If you're sure," Loren nodded as he straightened his pack.

"I'm sure," Ion waved the topic away, "They should be reaching Baticul sometime soon so you'd better go if you want to get there by tonight. I can't promise, however, that they'll still be there by then. I have the feeling that something may happen."

"Alright," Loren nodded and bowed, "I'll await your message if that's the case."

"Thank you," Ion nodded.

"It's no problem, Fon Master," Loren smiled as he turned away, chuckling at the sigh.

"Ion!" the Fon Master called after him as he stepped out the door.

He shook his head and started down the steps, heading straight for the nearest cafe. Soon, he had his coffee in hand as he made for the carriages, one of which would be taking him to the port.

He didn't reach Baticul until nightfall and, true to Ion's prediction, he learned that Jade Curtiss and his group were no longer in Baticul. Which was unfortunate. So he resigned himself to a night at the Inn and waiting an unknown amount of time for the Fon Master to report on a location. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. He didn't fancy an extended stay in the capital. There was always the chance that he could be recognized.

So he ordered a room at the Inn and settled in for a long night. And perhaps a look at the book Ion had tasked him with. It wasn't like he wouldn't find out, he reasoned, the Fon Master wanted him to stay with Jade.

He dropped his hat on the nightstand and sat on the bed, pulling the tome out before setting the bag on the floor. He eyed the slips of paper that stuck out between the pages, figuring they were what Ion wanted Jade to look at. He frowned. Why would the Fon Master be sending such a text out into the world? He was pretty sure this particular one was forbidden. He turned it over and read the title again, trying to remember where he'd seen it before. His frown deepened as he dug through his pockets, searching for his last missive from the Commandant.

The paper was a bit crumpled but the message was clear as he laid it out against the cover. He jaw tightened and his eyes closed as he tilted his head towards the ceiling. Of course. Against the Commandant's orders, he would've burned it. Anything to hinder the man that had spurned him. And in turn, the Fon Master had handed it to him in full confidence that it would safely get to where he wanted it. It left him conflicted. His brow twitched. His headache was back.

There was a knock on the door and he glared at the ceiling. He put the book face down as he got up, turning it so the spine faced the wall then answered the door. He wasn't prepared for the woman that waited on the other side, particularly when she seemed to purr at the sight of him.

"Isn't this a sight to behold," she said with a predatory smile, "I wonder if Master Asch knows about you."

Loren stiffened as the woman pushed into the room, taking his hand from the door as she closed it then led him away. "How-"

"Don't take me for a fool, I know what to look for." She left him in the middle of the room and went to the nightstand, "A couple reports of a man wearing Master Asch's face helped, especially since he mysteriously disappeared yesterday." She picked up the tome and the missive under it, ignoring Loren's protests as he rushed over.

"What are you doing? Who are you?" he demanded as he took the tome from her hands and held it out of her reach. Her smile turned sultry as she looked at him.

"Have you heard of the Dark Wings?"

He couldn't help the breath of air that forced its way into his lungs.

The smile widened as he fought the urge to back away. "So you have," she breathed and leaned closer, "then I'll have you know," her voice dropped to a whisper, "my hands are everywhere." Then she was twisting around him and the book taken from him grasp. He gaped at her as she stood tauntingly in the middle of the room. "Noir," she introduced, "Leader of the Dark Wings. We lend our services to those willing to pay."

"And what counts as pay?" Loren bit out.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Why?" Her head tilted coyly as her eyes scanned over him, "Are you willing to pay?" His expression turned sour and she laughed. "It's nothing like that," she waved, "though, I wouldn't deny if you were to offer." Loren sputtered and she smirked before thumbing through the book.

"Hey!"

"Interesting piece of work you've got here," she apprised, stepping away as he tried to take it back, "it would be a shame if it fell into the wrong hands. Something tells me this is very important."

"The Fon Master tasked me with delivering it."

"Did he now?" She held up the note as she dodged another attempt, "Was it to this man, perhaps? It seems like he wants it very bad."

A flash of anger crossed his face, "No."

"Then maybe is was to a certain group that seems to be missing a member," Noir mused, eyes glittering in satisfaction when he faltered. "You're very much like your brother," she told him, "very telling."

He glared, "I don't have a brother."

Noir hummed and closed the book with a snap, "Perhaps. What's your name, boy?"

Loren's brow furrowed at the sudden question, "What?"

"Your name," Noir repeated, "you know mine yet I don't know yours. Very rude, I must say."

He flushed in embarrassment, "Loren."

"No last name?" He didn't get to shake his head before she was talking again, "No, I don't suppose you would. No matter," she pressed the book into his chest and he grabbed it before it could fall, "You'll be wanting to go to Sheridan, Loren and if you're quick you might catch the last ferry out for the night."

There was a moment to comprehend before his eyes grew wide and he rushed to grab his bag and run out the door. Noir stared after him in amusement, crossing her arms as her eyes drifted to the nightstand. She had a feeling he wouldn't be returning for his hat. She fiddled with the note in her hand, smirking as an idea came to mind. Belkend, huh?

* * *

They reached Sheridan just as the sun was setting and Anise ran off murmuring about telling Ion. The others paid her no mind, setting a straight course for the Inn so they could sleep off the events of the day. Noelle broke off just inside the city gates, aiming to sleep in her own bed.

"Come by the Meeting Hall first thing," she told them, "my grandparents might be able to help you think of what to do next."

"Sure thing," Guy smiled wearily, "anything might help at this point."

Noelle smiled back then to the group as a whole, "I'll see you in the morning, then. And I hope you'll feel better when you wake, Natalia, a good night's rest usually helps."

"Thank you," was the soft reply and Noelle nodded.

"Good night," she waved and started towards home, a chorus of 'good night's following her.

There was a moment where they continued to stand in the middle of the street before Jade broke the silence. "As lovely as the night is, I'd prefer to be in a bed right now," he stated as he turned away. There was a low sigh from Guy as the rest of the group fell in behind him. Jade eyed him over his shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine. He survived tougher situations before."

"Did he really? Jade, if we hadn't stopped him-"

"Guy." His mouth clicked shut, eyes darting to Tear who was staring at the ground. "Not now," she shook her head, "please."

He grit his teeth as he bowed his head. Jade's lips thinned as he stared ahead.

"Sorry."

* * *

_Heat. _

_He reached for it. Warmth..._

_Surrounding, caressing, embracing._

_He breathed it and sighed._

_Soothing, calming, comforting._

_It filled him. Consumed him._

_He ached and it grew. Choking and burning._

_He cried._

* * *

Morning came quickly though Guy was somewhat embarrassed to find that he was the last to wake, even if it was still early. The Innkeeper had told him as he left his room. So he made his way to the Meeting Hall, trying not to think about the past few days. Unfortunately, it was a plight doomed to fail; trying not to think of it made the topic that much harder to get rid of.

"Excuse me."

Maybe talking to someone would help. He sighed and looked to the person calling for his attention then froze.

"Hey," they continued talking as if they hadn't noticed Guy's surprise, "I'm looking for someone named Jade Curtiss. You wouldn't happen to know of him, would you?"

Red hair even shorter than Luke's and green eyes that watched him with tired annoyance. Guy released a shaky breath, "You, who are you?"

His annoyance became more pronounced, "Loren. Look if you can't help then I'll be just be going."

"No!" Guy grabbed his wrist before he could even take a step away, "No, I know where Jade is. It's just- You-" He stopped at Loren's unimpressed expression. "Never mind, come with me."

Loren sighed as he was practically dragged away, staying silent as he was led back around the corner and into the large warehouse-like building.

"Guy, how nice of you to join us. Who's that you've got there?"

"Someone who nearly gave me a heart attack," Guy pulled him forward and nudged him towards the steps. Loren glared as those around the table cried out and stood up.

"My, this is rather unexpected," Loren looked at the man that watched him as he climbed the steps.

"Are you Jade?" he asked, pulling his bag off to set it on the table. The blond passed by his left in order to sit as he took out the book and the letter when he received a nod, "Ion told me to bring this to you."

"I see. I don't suppose there's a reason he asked you in particular to come," Jade stated as he took them out of his hands. Loren shrugged.

"Might be for the same reason everyone's looking at me like I'm a miracle," he offered dryly then looked to the women as they flushed and sat back down, "I'm guessing Luke is your missing companion."

"How ever did you guess?" Jade's voice screamed sarcasm as he opened the letter to read first.

"Yeah!" The small brunette burst out of her seat, "And how did you get here so quickly, too? I only sent a message to Ion last night!"

Loren raised a brow at her, "I followed you to Baticul yesterday though I arrived long after you all had already left. A certain member of the Dark Wings tipped me off to where you'd gone." He shook his head and pulled a chair out for himself, "Before we go into anything else, can I know who everyone is? I'm Loren."

"Lauren? Isn't that a girl's name?" Loren scowled at the girl.

"L-O-R-E-N," he spelled, "Loren, get it right."

"Geez, touchy," she grumbled and dropped into her seat, "Anise."

"I'm Tear," the woman to her left introduced, "and this is Natalia, Guy, and Jade." Loren looked at each one as they nodded, committing their faces to memory.

"Fantastic," he muttered, "does anyone has any coffee? The cafe at the port wasn't open when I left."

"I'm sure someone can find some for you somewhere," Jade spoke as he folded the letter and handed it over to Guy, "in the meantime, Guy can explain what it is we've been up to since Ion seems to want to include you."

Guy groaned as he looked over the letter, "Why is it always me?" Then he straightened as he read a certain line, "Hey, no, it say for you to explain!"

"Ah, but see," Jade smiled, "I'm going to be reading this very interesting text he sent. If I'm not mistaken, it's one that was forbidden by the Order." Guy sighed as Anise perked up.

"Forbidden? Those are the ones the Order designated as harmful and gathered up, right?"

Jade nodded, "And this one is very old at that. Apologize to Iemon and the others for me," he said as he stood, "I think I'm going to spend the day reading this instead."

"Sure thing," Anise nodded as Jade left the building to return to the Inn.

"Right then, first thing's first," Guy started, having resigned to his fate of the group storyteller once again, "the truth about the fall of Akzeriuth."

Loren internally groaned. It looked as if he wasn't going to get his coffee.

It was about half way through the explanation and shortly after Iemon and the rest came in when Anise noticed something odd and strangely familiar about Loren. It was in the slight drooping of his shoulders and the faint sheen of sweat on his brow. It was in the slightly heavier breaths that he took and the minute tremble in his fingers as he gripped the coffee mug Tear had given him when she remembered. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she pinpointed other symptoms that no one else seemed to be seeing.

"Loren, are you sick?" She asked, not really caring that she had interrupted Guy.

"What?" was the prominent word in the various sounds of confusion around the table but she didn't let it distract her. Even when Loren shook his head at her.

"Don't lie to me," she demanded as she stood, "you're sick, I can see it! You look just like Ion does when he over-exerts himself." Though she couldn't quite figure out how Loren managed to do that just by sitting.

"Anise, really," Loren assured, "I'm not sick. I feel no different than I usually do." Generally after he'd been outside for an extended period of time but he didn't really want to tell them that.

"Well, before you didn't look like you would fall over if you stood up too fast," she countered and she could see everyone around her start to take a closer look at him.

"Do you have to be so dramatic?" he complained as he leaned back and held the mug to his chest.

"She's right," Tear added, "Now that I'm actually looking, it seems obvious." Loren sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine," he insisted, "can we let Guy finish?"

"I don't know," Natalia spoke up for the first since he got there, "you look like you could use a rest."

"Everyone could use a rest," he retorted under his breath to raised eyebrows. "Listen," he pinned Anise with a stare, "whatever you think is wrong will likely go away within the hour, alright?" At least he hoped it would. He cursed his body's inability to regulate itself.

Anise reluctantly agreed and returned to her seat. "I'll be watching," she promised.

"You do that," Loren nodded and gestured for Guy to continue.

It didn't go away within the hour and since he refused to have someone point it out to him, Loren retreated to the bathroom right after Guy finished talking. Anise's eyes followed his back until the door closed and locked behind him.

"It got worse," she told the others around her and Tear nodded.

"He got really pale there, right at the end. Obviously, he's used to whatever this is but I don't think he expected it to be this bad," she pointed out, "I wish he'd let us help."

"He's not Luke," Guy mentioned, "I highly doubt that he'll appreciate it if we fussed over him like he was."

"Replicas," Iemon muttered, "nasty business."

Tamara clicked her tongue, "It's not the boy's fault."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's a nasty business. I'll bet my right arm that it has something to do with his illness," he offered, waving his arm for emphasis.

"I don't think we need to go that far."

"If Jade were here, he could probably tell us," Anise huffed.

"Ask him when he gets back," Guy said, "that book shouldn't take him all day."

She hummed and turned to Natalia who was watching the bathroom door. She stood up to lean over her shoulder. "Keep staring and you'll eventually be able to see through it," she spoke into her ear then dodged the hand the flew up in reflex with a giggle.

"It's nothing like that!" the princess snapped with a glare, "it's just- There's something wrong."

"Yeah, the guy's sick and too stubborn to let us help."

"No," Natalia shook her head, "not that. I expected to hear water running but it's been silent since he went in." As if on cue, there was a heavy thud against the door.

* * *

_Let your voice ring clear..._


	6. Chapter 6

Coffee. Where was the fucking coffee? That was the first coherent thought to cross Loren's mind upon waking up. That and a heavy resignation towards passing out. Again. He sighed and sat up while shoving aside the thick blankets Sheridan had no business having. He didn't care if it got really cold at night; he didn't need two comforters and a quilt. He did pull the blankets back into place once he'd gotten up, however, because there was no excuse for leaving behind a messy bed.

That done and with his clothes brushed into alignment, Loren meandered out of the inn and in the general direction of coffee. He found a small café tucked into a corner around the bend and he counted his lucky stars as he ordered the largest size they had. While the caffeine did little to suppress his fatigue in the long run, it did allow him to last longer than three hours outdoors. He didn't care if it meant sleeping for insane hours as a result. He didn't know what he was going to do when he followed the Fon Master's plan, though.

Loren stepped into the meeting hall with a sigh, climbed the small flight of stairs, and dropped into the nearest chair. No one else was there, strangely enough, but there was a tiny little creature that was content to roll itself along the length of the table. At least, until it noticed him.

"You're awake!" it squeaked at him and he nearly choked on his mouthful of extra sweet coffee.

"You talk! Why do you talk?!" he sputtered after forcing himself to swallow, "Cheagles aren't supposed to talk!"

"I'm Mieu!" it introduced, ignoring his question altogether, "Luke's my master. He helped my tribe and I got this ring so I could go with him! It helps me do lots of things." Alright, so it didn't ignore him. He put 'talking' under the list of 'things this cheagle could do' and left it at that. He also got the sense there was a lot missing from the story but he decided not to push it.

"Right, talking cheagle with the fancy ring, got it," he said instead then took a long drink from his cup. It didn't last as long as he'd have liked, though, 'cause that Anise kid came charging into the building while shouting his name at the top of her lungs and, really, did he _have_ to travel with these people?

"Anise," Jade's smooth and slightly admonishing tone managed to curb the stream of reprimands and concerns that Loren hadn't bothered to listen to as the girl turned to scowl at the colonel. He smiled in response and she huffed. Then he looked to Loren as he stared balefully at them over the rim of his cup.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Jade asked and Loren tensed, "it's nearly dinner time, did you know? You've slept the whole day away it seems." Yes, he did know it was almost dinner time. The setting sun was a very nice thing to wake up to; it meant no sun in a couple hours.

He didn't say that though. No, he just looked away and stared at the table instead.

"Loren!" Anise smacked the table then poked a finger in his face, "if you're going to be traveling with us, you need to tell us when you need a break. None of this…" her arm flailed towards the bathroom door as she struggled to find the right words, "silence and forcing yourself to move!"

Loren grit his teeth and leaned away from her hand. "I apologize for troubling you," he told her as he let his cup rest on the table, "in truth, I am not accustomed to being out of doors. My travels from Daath to Baticul to Sheridan drained me further than I had expected and I'm sorry that you had to deal with the repercussions of my oversight." What the _hell_ was he doing?

"Geez, no need to get all formal," Anise crossed her arms, "just promise you won't do it again. We don't need you hiding things from us, too." Her expression faltered for a moment and Loren rose a brow slightly in question though the girl seemed disinclined to answer. He looked away to stare at the opposite wall as he brought his cup to his lips and took a drink. Then he nodded.

Jade walked by with a chuckle and a pat to the top of Anise's head. "Glad to see you've cleared that up," he stated then sat in the chair he'd occupied that morning and set Ion's tome down in front of him. "Now, it sounds like you have quite the predicament there, Loren," the man peered at him over his glasses.

Loren didn't have any time to do more than blink before Jade was dismissing the topic. "You can tell me all about it later," he said as he laced his fingers on the table, "the girls will be back with food in a bit. Anise, can I send you off to reclaim Guy from the warehouse? Take Mieu with you."

"Yessir," the girl saluted then scooped the cheagle off the table and bounced out of the building. Loren sighed, absently tapping the side of his cup as he slouched in his chair. There was a moment of silence where he breathed and Jade stared before it was broken by the colonel.

"You are not complete." Or not. Of course the man would make sure they were alone.

Loren stared at the ceiling and the fan that slowly rotated. "No."

"Extreme fatigue due to outdoor exposure and a rather… disappointing disability. I'm not too far off the mark, am I?"

He closed his eyes. "No."

"Yet, everything else is almost perfect. You were the closest they got without having to sacrifice. You had the basic knowledge, his mannerisms," Jade paused. Loren watched him out of the corner of his eye. "You have his drive," he finished and Loren swallowed, straightening up to drain the rest of his coffee.

"Drive means nothing when I don't have the ability," he muttered as he all but threw the paper cup on the table. He focused on it as it tipped over and rolled away and frowned when it curved back towards him.

"And yet, you still followed the same path. You both entered the Order to get close to the man who cursed you and both of you are waiting for the perfect time to end him." Loren's gaze snapped to Jade's and the man stared evenly back.

"The Fon Master said you could help me," he told him and Jade smiled.

"He is, for all his youth, amazingly perceptive," his eyes gleamed in the dim light, "our goal is the death of Van. The death of Tear's brother and the death of your creator. You come with us and you'll have your revenge. All you need to do is stay truthful and rest when you're _supposed_ to so you don't end up holding us back."

Loren breathed. He took in a long breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly let it out. "You have a roundabout way of showing your concern," he finally said. Jade said nothing and Loren sighed. "Fine."

* * *

Ion stared at the envelope on his desk and his name that was scrawled upon it in a hurried attempt to stay neat. The letters were obviously from Teodoro's hand and while he knew Yulia City would be the first he'd get a response from; he honestly didn't expect to receive it less than 24 hours after the initial note. Hope blossomed in his chest as he picked up the letter from the mail pile and he made quick work of the envelope to get at the words within.

It was short and to the point, obviously something written between the matters outlined in the letter itself. Ion's eyes darted between three key phrases as his grip tightened on the paper. Flash of light, new Daathic seal, and a request for immediate assistance. His eyes closed as he took a deep breath and set the letter down. This was it. This was lead he was looking for. Now he just had to wait for the others to get back.

He stepped around his desk and slowly sat in his chair. A sheet of paper was pulled in front of him then his quill taken from the inkwell. A confirmation with a short explanation for delay was written then he sat back and waved the feather over the ink for it to dry. The quill was dropped back in the well and the page pushed a few inches away before he crossed his arms on the wood and let his head rest on top.

He took a deep breath and slowly released it in an effort to get the urgency that flowed through him to dissipate. It would do him no good to get himself worked up. He straightened with another deep breath and looked at the letter. Another one to Jade would be ideal but he highly doubted the party was still in Baticul and he didn't know where they would've gone afterwards. Unless...

He grabbed the rest of the letters from the inbox and shuffled through them. Yes, here we go. A quick scan revealed they had made it to Sheridan after nearly being arrested in Baticul. He wondered how far behind them Loren was and if he knew they were there. Perhaps a letter to him as well.

Decisions made, he pulled another sheet forward and got to writing. He sighed at the end of it, staring at the two new letters next to the first then glanced to his bedroom doorway and the dim light that casted through it. The sun had almost finished its decent. The letters would have to wait until morning. He hated waiting.

* * *

Dinner was more rowdy than it needed to be with old people making lewd remarks and teenage girls collectively deciding to hound on the new guy and be the cause of said lewd remarks. Loren was decidedly unimpressed despite the fried chicken he had been presented with. If anything, he figured it was a pre-emptive measure to make sure he didn't get too mad at them. He refused to admit that it had worked and half cursed the shared trait that allowed them to make such a move. So what if they all liked chicken, it was damned delicious.

By the end of it, the girls had calmed down and Loren had relaxed somewhat on the silent treatment he had started part way through. Pots and pans were stacked on the cart to be taken back to the house and plates and silverware were cluttered in the sink off to the side. Only Loren still had his as he nibbled on the remaining strips of chicken.

"So, what do you have?" Anise burst as Natalia made her way back from the bathroom, "anything new?" She was watching the book as Jade thumbed through it, her impatience clear.

Jade hummed and nodded as he finally settled on a page, "It seems the cause of the Qliphoth's liquefaction lies in the core."

"The centre of the planet," Natalia muttered as she sat, turning in her chair to face the colonel, "where memory particles form?"

"Yes. It should be at rest but it's vibrating violently," he tapped the page as if it would clarify his train of thought, "that's likely the cause of the liquefaction." Guy peered at the paragraph around Jade's hand but found nothing that connected to the man's deduction.

"So, why didn't the people of Yulia City do something about the core shaking?" Tear asked as Guy leaned back, shaking his head in bewilderment. Loren frowned and dropped his chicken before shoving the plate away.

"Was it not in the Score?" he crossed his arms and leaned on the table, ignoring Tamara as she took the plate to the sink.

Jade shook his head, "No, but that wasn't the main reason. The main reason was that the shaking is cause by the Planet Storm." He focused on Tear and she straightened at the unexpected look, "The people of Yulia City likely didn't have any idea that the Planet Storm would cause the core to vibrate and, in fact, it probably didn't. But over a long period of time, distortions developed, and the core began to vibrate."

"Even Dr. Southern-Cross didn't predict the core's vibration…?" Natalia's head tilted as she brought her finger to her lips in thought.

"The only way to stop the shaking is to stop the Planet Storm," Jade continued as if he hadn't heard her, "but stopping the Planet Storm would drastically weaken both fontech and fonic artes. The passage rings supporting the Outer Lands would also stop completely."

"Then there's nothing we can do…" Everyone seemed to sag in their chairs at Anise's words. Loren stifled a groan as he rubbed at his forehead.

A smirk touched at Jade's lips, "Actually, we just need to stop the core's vibrations while maintaining the Planet Storm."

"We can do that?" Multiple people spoke at once and Loren didn't bother trying to figure out who it was.

"This text contains some ideas," Amusement glittered in the colonel's eyes. Loren glared at him.

"But it was sealed away because it contradicts Yulia's Score?" Tear guessed. A rather obvious guess, but a guess all the same.

"Correct," Jade nodded and flipped to another page in the text, "all we can do is fix the liquefaction and lower the Outer Lands. Granted, we will need to reconstruct the fon machines from the text." He looked at Tamara, Iemon and Aston out of the corner of his eye as he turned the book towards them, "That's where you three come in. You all should be capable of something like this, yes?"

There was a clamour as the researchers hurried forward and Guy scrambled to get out of the line of fire. Exclamations about "Class I" and "Class M" were tossed out along with something about losses and wins and Loren had to sigh at their actions.

He waved his hand to get the blond's attention, rolling his eyes as the man clearly tried not to laugh. He stood up and brushed himself off before straightening the chair he had knocked over in his rush to get out of Aston's way. Then he settled next to Loren and leaned close to hear the redhead's question.

"What's the deal with... this?" Guy's smile stretched into a grin and Loren tensed.

"The rivalry between Sheridan's 'Class M' and Belkend's 'Class I' is practically legendary to the people that know of them and with something of this calibre, there's no chance that they'll let the opportunity to get the one up pass them by," he explained. Loren looked at him in disbelief and Guy shrugged.

"So, these two groups of old people will fight tooth and nail in order to get ahead?" Really? Did this really happen?

"It's come to that in the past, yes." Guy gave him a helpless smile as his eyes were drawn to the trio that had already begun to pull out pads of paper.

"Damn." Guy chuckled and patted Loren on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. They'll get the job done."

Loren didn't say anything to that.

"Alright!" Tamara clapped her hands together and the men silenced instantly. Loren blinked at the suddenness of it. "This is going to take a bit of fine tuning. We'll need to measure the frequency of the core's vibration before we do anything else."

"How do we do that?" Mieu asked from his perch on Tear's head.

"By inserting a measuring device through a passage ring into a Sephiroth Tree," Jade answered, "which means we'll need a Sephiroth that we haven't lowered yet." Loren frowned, trying to think of the ones that weren't the first and last.

"Aside from the Radiation Gate and the Absorbtion gate, I don't know of any others," Natalia pointed out, verbalizing his own thoughts. Jade shook his head.

"I doubt they'll be good for measurements as they're the start and end points for the Planet Storm," he explained.

"Shall we ask Grandfather in Yulia City?" Tear suggested and Anise straightened in her seat.

"We could ask Ion, too!" she added, "Plus, the Sephiroth with be closed with a Daathic seal so we'll need to take him with us anyway."

"True," Natalia agreed as Tear nodded, "to Daath, then?"

"It sounds like a plan," Guy stood with a stretch then scratched the back of his head, "also, it's a bit of a stretch but he might have information on Luke, too." Right, Luke. He'd almost forgotten about him.

Loren sighed and stood from his own seat, mirrored by the others around him. "Are we leaving tonight, then?"

"That would be best if you don't mind, Noelle," Jade decided with a look towards the young pilot.

"Not at all!" she straightened from where she was leaning against the wall and giving her family weary looks. A grin spread across her face, "Honestly, I'd rather not be here when their frenzy starts."

"A wise choice," Jade nodded then made for the exit. "Let's be off, then. We have no time to lose if Guy is right and the Fon Master does have information for us. "

* * *

_Singing… Soft. Soothing._

_Lov… …ng clear._

…_Who is singing? _

_Darling chi… …ue._

_Chi… Child? Drifting._

_Adored child of … …ee._

_I can't hear…_

* * *

Ion woke early the next day though not because he particularly wanted to. The knowledge that he needed to do something the next day kept waking him at odd hours of the night, most likely in an attempt to make sure he got as much done as he could. So he resigned himself to getting up at 5.30 in the morning and seeing what he could occupy himself with. After delivering the letters, of course.

Said missives were held loosely in one hand as he slowly descended the tower, knowing it wouldn't make much of a difference if they left in five minutes or fifteen. His other hand lifted to cover a yawn, wishing he could've gotten more sleep. He blinked blearily at the elaborate walls and the ever-slanted ceiling between his fingers as he rubbed at his face. Maybe he could've lasted another hour in bed.

There was nothing for it, though. He had already reached the door at the bottom of the staircase. He was through the door and on the glyph in short order, sighing as he materialized on the ground floor and made his way to the main hall.

There were few people occupying the room when he entered, not that there were ever many to begin with, but the ones that were made the papers in his hand moot.

"Oh," he gasped in slight surprise, looking at the letters before shrugging and smiling lightly at the situation and making his way forwards. Most of them were dead on their feet, a couple of them having decided to drop to the floor and lean against the wall.

"Wouldn't the Inn make a better resting point than the floor of the front hall?" he greeted with a small laugh, giving the entire party a cursory glance for anything out of the ordinary. Guy was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and head bowed and clearly not paying attention to anything. Anise was on the floor some ways to his right and Natalia and Tear were trying their hardest to remain alert.

"Fon Master," Jade nodded, the only one that seemed to have more energy than the rest of them combined, "Anise had suggested her family's rooms instead. 'Why waste gald when there's already free beds' was her reasoning." He gesture to the brunette that had all but collapsed on the floor and was snoring faintly, "As you can see, she didn't quite make it. At any rate, we were planning on meeting you later this morning after some of us had gotten some rest. I didn't expect you to be up before the sun."

"It's not by choice," Ion admitted with a tired smile, "nerves kept waking me through the night."

"Nerves?" Jade echoed with a raised brow, "I'll take that to mean you heard something, then."

Ion hummed an affirmative and raised the letters to show the colonel, "I had actually written to you last night about it but it was too late to deliver." He handed the one that was intended for the man over and slipped the others in his robes. "By the way, did you happen to meet a man named Loren?"

"Ah, we did indeed," Jade answered as he broke the seal and scanned the words inside, "an interesting find you made there. How did you manage to come across him?"

"He quite literally ran into me, actually. I figured you might want to know about him."

"An astute observation," Jade agreed then gave him a sharp look. The letter was refolded and held up as a signal of a change in topic, "I want to see you resting before you take on this new seal."

"I won't object to that, Colonel," Ion smiled, tilting his head slightly, "I'll probably be sleeping again by mid morning now that you're here."

"It matters not if you sleep though that method is probably best. I'll be making sure you don't overtax yourself," the man warned just as the sound of a door closing echoed loudly in the hall. The pair turned towards the noise as Guy was jerked from his doze and the women stood just a little bit straighter. Anise remained dead to the world.

"Loren," Jade called to the man steadily making his way towards them, "I was starting to think you had gotten lost."

"It's been a long time since I last got lost down there," the red head returned, giving the colonel a rather annoyed look before he looked to Ion. "Good morning, Fon Master," he greeted only to receive a reprimanding stare from the other. He sighed and resisted rolling his eyes. "Good morning, Ion," he amended.

"Good morning, Loren," Ion accepted then eyed the top of his head, "I see you've misplaced a part of your uniform."

Loren's hand ran through his hair at the comment, "I believe I left it in Baticul. I was a bit distracted when I got there." He shook his head let his hand fall, "Anyway, I thought we were meeting at the Tatlin's quarters?"

"It seems Anise fell short," Jade nodded to the girl, "if you would be so kind as to grab her, then we could all make our way up." Loren gave him a flat stare to which he got a benign smile.

"I don't know how the others put up with you," he said finally before he turned and did as the colonel suggested. Anise grumbled as she was lifted but she quickly went back to snoring. Ion sent her a fond smile then turned to Tear and Natalia. The relief was evident on their faces, the pair clearly eager to be in a bed and they followed closely behind Jade and Loren.

"Guy," Ion prompted, the blond the only one to not notice everyone else leaving. Guy jerked upright, immediately rubbing his face to wake himself further.

"Fon Master?" he spoke between his hands and Ion chuckled.

"The others are moving. I think you'll find it better to sleep in a bed than against a wall," he said and Guy gave his own laugh.

"Yes, thank you," he nodded then stretched his arms over his head as he trailed after the rest of his party with Ion at his side.

* * *

_Darling child of sound… _


	7. Chapter 7

It was well passed noon before everyone was awake again and Loren had taken advantage of the time in Daath to retreat to the familiar air of his quarters. Others would call it stagnant but he called it livable. Whatever it was that permeated the rest of the building didn't seem to make it down there.

He used the time to train, focusing on his artes instead of the meager blade work that he had managed to scrape together. For all that his original could wield both with frightening ability, he found the blade artes lacking. Better to focus on something he was actually good at.

"Negative Gate!" The first fonon ripped through the air, swirling under his target before engulfing the dummy in writhing shadows. He released a breath of air and let his arm drop slowly as the spell dissipated. The end of his staff hit the floor with a dull thud, the sound echoing lowly in the chamber.

"Impressive!" He turned, finding Ion standing in the open doorway to his room with his hands pressed together as if he were about to clap. He looked away without comment, taking in the dummy and the head that now rested on the floor. He sighed soundlessly.

"More impressive if I could do that with one arte," he said, "I've been using him since last Remday."

"I think even Jade would be hard pressed to break a dummy in one arte," Ion countered as he crossed the room, "don't discount yourself too much."

Loren gave a non-committal hum, not believing him for a second. "Did you need something?"

"Jade wished to tell you they were getting ready to leave," Ion reported, "he said, 'make sure you're ready for a trip into to the Qliphoth, it wouldn't do to have you incapacitated at a crucial moment.'" Loren blinked then looked down at the Fon Master at his side.

"He sent you to deliver that?" He seriously doubted it though he didn't doubt that the words came from Jade.

Ion shook his head, "He was going to send Anise originally but since I already knew where your rooms were, I offered to come instead," he explained then gave him a curious look, "I have to ask, though. Why are you all the way down here when there are plenty of rooms higher up?"

"Ah," Loren's gaze drifted to the side and he ran his fingers though his bangs, "to be honest, it has to do with the air, I think. I find it easier to breathe down here than I do in the upper levels."

Ion blinked in surprise, "Really? It didn't look like you had an issue the other day."

"It wouldn't," Loren started, "the difference is slight and it doesn't begin to affect me until I've been up there for a few hours. Going outside, though, is worse and if what I hear about the Qliphoth is true than I'm almost dreading the trip. I'll be drinking coffee by the bucket load."

"Coffee?" Ion questioned and Loren shrugged.

"It seems to be the only thing that keeps me going when I'm traveling," he offered then hooked his staff across his back as he gestured to the door, "anyway, let's go before that man sends someone else down to find us."

They reached the main level relatively quickly, catching Anise about halfway up. She grumbled and scolded the both of them even as Loren calmly turned her around and pushed her back the way she came.

"Loren!" Guy called when they arrived, arm raised in a wave. They were gathered beneath the pool of holy water, apparently in the midst of a discussion.

"Ion said we were leaving soon?" he prompted as he approached and Tear nodded from next to Jade.

"We were just discussing what we were going to do after Yulia City," she said, "the Fon Master confirmed the location of a passage ring in Tataroo Valley."

"Really?" Loren looked at the green haired youth who smiled and nodded.

"Yes," Jade pushed his glassed further up his nose, "we'll be heading there after getting the measuring device from Sheridan if this lead falls through. To be honest, I'm reluctant to put much hope in it."

"Jade!" Natalia exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Come on, do you really have to be like that?" Guy sighed and the man shrugged in a helpless manner.

"Asch and Luke disappeared in such a way that it's nearly impossible to tell where they've gone. Actually, I'm tempted to say that it was a hyperresonance that took them and if that's the case, there's no way for us to trace where it went. Especially now that it's been so long," he explained then smoothly placed his hands in his pockets. "At any rate," he continued, "while Teodoro's letter has substantial evidence, keep in mind that it might not be what we're looking for."

The group was quiet for a moment as they took it in before Natalia shook her head and looked at Jade with determination.

"No, I won't. Luke and Asch, they're down there. I refuse to believe they've been taken somewhere we can't reach. I'm not going to lose them!" She stood tall, her arms at her sides in an unspoken challenge.

Jade considered her then bowed his head in a single nod, "I admire your resolve. Very well, let's go to Yulia City and find our wayward companions."

* * *

At some point, Asch wasn't sure when, Luke had gotten lost between the bathroom and the dining table. He only noticed when the idiot still wasn't back by the time the food was done. The water wasn't running, that much he could tell and the only other sound he could hear was slowly cooling stove. His frown deepened as he resisted slamming the plates on the table. Then he was stepping down the hall and all but throwing the bathroom door open. A bathroom that was suspiciously empty aside from the old and dirty bandages piled in front of the sink and the mirror above it.

'Where the hell are you?' What he received could only be called a flinch, a flash of surprise laced with fear crossing the back of his mind. His grip tightened on the doorknob before he released it.

He went to the bedroom next, a quick glance telling him that he was in neither of the beds so he marched to the closet and threw the door open wide. Luke stared up at him with wide eyes, curled as far into the back corner as he could go and clutching one of his wrists as if it were his last line of hope.

Suspicion wormed its way into his chest.

"What did you do?" his jaw was tight as he spoke and he tried to keep his voice low. Luke tensed and pressed harder into his corner. He was shaking his head, his mouth open as if he were about to speak before it clicked shut and he swallowed hard. Asch crouched on his toes.

"What did you do?" he repeated slowly, eyeing the marks that littered the other's skin. A few would have to be re-bandaged. Luke's eyes skirted to the side, the hand around his wrist twisting. His eyes narrowed at the twinge of pain that passed through.

"N-nothing," the youth stuttered, "I didn't do anything." Asch watched him, the suspicion in his chest growing. He held out his hand.

"Show me your wrist." The grip Luke had on it tightened, the white in his knuckles becoming visible in the shadows of the room. Asch raised a brow. "If you've done nothing, then there's nothing to hide," he urged, reaching his hand out further.

Luke looked at it for barely a moment before he was staring at Asch's face, confusion furrowing his brow as he began to relax. "You… why?"

'I thought you hated me.'

His lips thinned as he caught the errant thought. "At this point, it doesn't matter if I hate you or not," he said, ignoring the look of shock, "what matters is that you show me your wrist so I know what to tell your little group of friends when we get out of here. I'm not that eager to gain their ire."

Luke looked away again but the fingers around his wrist loosened and the arm pulled away moments later. Asch took it before it could be taken back, pulling and tugging Luke to his feet and out of the closet where he could get to a light and see better. At least he had the decency to put on pants.

Luke was deposited on the bed and the lamp switched on in short order, adding to the small amount of light coming from the only window. He didn't even bother with the chair, continuing to stand as he pulled Luke's arm into the light to assess the damage. There was a small intake of breath as relief flooded through him and his grip relaxed. Anything that was there old news.

"You…" Asch looked up, resisting the urge to back away from the look he was given.

"Don't even," he warned, reaching behind him to take a roll of bandages from the desk drawer, "we are going to get some of this covered then you're going to finish getting dressed before we eat." Luke frowned and Asch already knew what he was going to say. "I don't care if you think you're not hungry," he said before Luke could even open his mouth, "you haven't had anything since we got here, you're eating."

"How do you keep doing that?" Luke burst, pulling his hand away clutch at the sheets as he leaned away from Asch's gaze, "How do you know what I'm going to say?" Asch's stare turned flat.

"I was starting to believe you weren't that much of an idiot," he said lowly, "think about the last few minutes and you might figure it out." Luke scowled and he could feel the indignation coursing through him. With a raised brow, he hooked the chair behind him with his foot and finally sat down.

'Hand.'

Luke jumped, the scowl dropping off his face to stare blankly at Asch. "My head doesn't hurt…" he said a few moments later and Asch had to visibly stop himself from making it hurt.

"That's what you took away from that?" he exclaimed then took a deep breath while Luke continued to watch him. "Whatever," he shook his head, "give me your damned hand so we can get this over with." Luke huffed, his cheeks puffing as he considered doing the exact opposite. Asch didn't give him the chance.

"Don't forget, I know what you're thinking," he reminded as he snatched his wrist and used it to make him sit straighter, "now sit still while I do this, I don't want to have to knock you out."

"Why don't you do that anyway? It's clear you want to," Luke grumbled and Asch pressed his thumb into one of the smaller bruises on his arm. He couldn't stop the cringe and he twisted it in an attempt to get him to stop.

"Because you need to eat, or did you not understand that the first time I said it? Stop acting like a petulant child and cooperate!" He eased on the pressure as soon as Luke stopped resisting, though the idiot refused to look at him.

He worked in silence after that, wrapping the worst of the marks that covered his hands and arms. He paused at his shoulders, considering the option of letting the air at the wounds there.

"Are you done?" Luke asked, pulling off a spectacular pout and Asch rolled his eyes.

"For now," he replied and re-rolled the short length he had pulled, "we'll cover your back when you sleep. It should be fine 'til then."

"My back?" Luke repeated as Asch stood, twisting as he tried to look over his shoulder, "Why my back? It feels fine." Asch snorted as he shoved the chair aside and set the roll on the desk. He watched as Luke got to his feet to try and see better. Without a word, his hand reached out and smacked one of the larger lesions near his spine.

Luke yelped, his hands immediately trying to cover it without much luck as he skittered away, "What'd you do that for!"

"To prove a point. Now put a shirt on, we're eating."

* * *

It was with trepidation that Loren stared out at the gloom that was the Qliphoth. He had quickly lost sight of the water that cascaded from the hole in the ocean as Noelle expertly navigated the thick clouds and the occasional bolt of lightning. Briefly, he wondered how they managed to find anything the first time they were down there.

"It's quite the difference, isn't it?" Tear spoke from beside him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and she smiled as she met his gaze. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide his discomfort.

"I think you're making it out to be a smaller deal than it is," he said and Tear laughed lightly.

"Yes, I can see what you mean," she turned her attention the scene outside and smiled wistfully, "I was amazed the first time I came to the Outer Lands. It was so clear and there was so much life I almost couldn't believe it." She paused and Loren let her take the moment to dwell in her memories.

"I grew up with stories of its beauty and with the shadows of the Qliphoth being the only thing I knew, everything about the Outer Lands seemed like a fairy tale," she took a deep breath then shook her head, "listen to me, waxing poetic about a place you've known your whole life, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Loren said and turned his own attention to the world outside, "it's refreshing, I think, to have an outsider's perspective on something I'm always looking at. You tend to forget to actually look at the world when it seemingly never changes. "

Tear stared at him in slight surprise, not expecting the level of insight that he presented. Her head tilted as she considered him, wondering just how different he was compared to Luke or even Asch. Surely, he couldn't be that much different but she doubted either of them would come out and say something like he just did.

Maybe it was just their experiences showing in the way they acted around everyone else. Asch, undoubtedly, would keep to himself and shut out any attempt at conversation; a trained reaction to never show any weakness and, by extension, to never give anyone the chance to get close. Luke was still learning. For all his enthusiasm, he would remain clueless when faced with such a conversation.

"What?" Tear blinked, straightening in her seat as Loren looked at her with a raised brow.

"I'm sorry," she leaned away as his look became more questioning, "I just got lost in thought. I didn't mean to stare." Loren made a sound, one that spoke of his skepticism as he looked away again.

"Whatever." Though maybe they weren't so different after all.

She smiled looked forward as the lights of the city came into view. Her stomach twisted as an odd tightness formed in her chest. She hoped, desperately hoped that they would find Luke there and in a better condition than when he'd left. She clutched at her dress then took a deep breath to compose herself. It wouldn't do to fall apart now.

Her grandfather was waiting for them when they landed, somehow looking excited despite the ever present frown.

"Come," he beckoned as soon as they were in range, not giving them the chance to talk, "this way." They each exchanged glances but followed without a word, hurrying after Teodoro's surprisingly quick pace.

He led them to a gated stairway off to the side of the main building, the previously locked gate wide open as researchers routinely scaled the steps.

"Down here?" Tear wondered, leaning over the railing to peer into the darkness. Small lights dotted the path the researchers were using but they did nothing to illuminate the surroundings.

"How do you see?" Anise questioned as a man passed them with nothing but a stack of files. He disappeared quickly into the shadows with the flicker of the lights being the only thing to tell his progress.

"Just follow the lights," Teodoro said, "the path has already been cleared and there's enough light at the end of it, there's no need to bring more." Then he started down the stairs and left them to stare at his back.

"Well, watch your step, I suppose," Guy suggested, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Loren snorted and moved forwards, wasting no time in descending the steps after the watcher. The rest followed his lead, some swallowing their hesitation as they moved.

At the end of it, they understood Teodoro's statement about extra light not being needed. A doorway stood at the end of the light trail that gave off its own faint glow and stepping through it presented something they weren't expecting to see.

"It's a passage ring!" Natalia exclaimed, turning slowly on the spot to take in the familiar symbols and architecture. The room they had entered was large with an arched ceiling swooping above them and a floor far beneath their feet. The walkway had them close to the top of the room and as she approached the protective barrier, she noticed sloping paths that led to lower levels.

"Not quite," Teodoro corrected and she looked over her shoulder at him for his explanation. "This place is built like those surrounding the rings but we've found no evidence of there ever being one here. In fact, this room is incapable of housing one due to its size and as far as we can tell, there are no others down here. Though, with the Daathic seal on the lowest level it's hard to tell for sure."

He paused then turned to Ion. "Fon Master," he addressed and the boy nodded, "I have to admit, I was intrigued when your message arrived and described an event that coincided with the appearance of this structure. While I understand the reasons behind the omission of some things, I was hoping you could fill me in on why you wished for a prompt reply."

The atmosphere in the group noticeably shifted as Ion cringed, "My apologies," he offered as he stepped forward, "but discretion was absolutely necessary. Asch and Luke were taken by what we suspect to be a hyperresonance three days ago."

"But," Teodoro glanced up, scanning the group until his eyes fell upon Loren and the confusion was replaced by shock. "Oh dear," he muttered as Loren frowned, "this is not good, not good at all. The Score must be very off track if you're here."

"Excuse me?" He blinked, bewildered at the old man's comment. Teodoro straightened, shaking his head as he realized what he'd said.

"Nothing, nothing," he waved, brushing his words aside though they lingered in their minds, "follow me, I'll show you to the seal."

So one by one, they trailed after him, each giving a look to Loren to which he shrugged simply because he didn't know what else to do. What was he supposed to do after something like that? Sing?

"What was that all about?" Anise murmured as she stepped up beside him and he shook his head.

"I have no idea but from the sounds of it, I don't think I'm supposed to be here."

"Here? You mean with us?" She looked at him imploringly and he hesitated before shaking his head again.

"Alive," he clarified, staring hard at the elder's back, "I don't think I'm supposed to be alive."

The girl made a rather crude noise and Loren couldn't stop the look he sent her. "Don't look at me like that," she scowled once she saw it, "I have every right to disregard what you just said. By all rights, Luke shouldn't be alive either yet he is and so are you and just like him, I don't want to hear you speaking that way again."

"I'm… sorry?"

"That's right!" Anise nodded fiercely, her hair bouncing around her ears at the force of it. But then her scowl turned into a troubled frown as she looked towards the floor and Loren found himself placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"Anise?" he leaned forward as much as he could while walking in an attempt to see her face and she took a deep breath. She raised her head, shaking her bangs out of her eyes as she did.

"Sorry," she apologized even though she didn't need to, "it's just… I was thinking that… if we had actually let Luke talk about it instead of always telling him not to then maybe… maybe he wouldn't have…" She swallowed thickly before taking another deep breath, this one shakier than the last and he realized she was trying not to cry.

"Anise," he said softly, unsure of how to continue. Then Jade was at her other side, taking her hand gently in his own and pulling her away.

"That's enough, I think," he muttered, "this is no place to be getting emotional." His voice was soft despite his words.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked and her hand lifted to wipe at her face.

"Save that for when we find him, hm?" Loren watched them as Anise nodded and sniffed loudly, something curling and tightening in his chest as she clearly took comfort in Jade's words. He frowned, resisting the urge to rub at the centre of his chest. Something… hurt? He stared at his feet as they steadily made their way down. What was this?

* * *

_Let your song sing true..._


End file.
